^  PRINCETON,  N.  J  '^'^ 


BV  3542  .P38  W54  1872 
Wilson,  Samuel,  1804-1889. 
George  Paull  of  Benita,  Wes1 


Shelf.. 


Africa 


a^r-{. 


GEORGE  PAULL, 


BENITA,    WEST    AFRICA 


A    MEMOIR. 


BY   TjJE 

Bev.  SAMUEL^WILSON,  d.d. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PEESBYTEEIAN  BOAED  OF  PUBLICATION, 

No.  1331  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tl>e  year  lb72,  by 

THE   TRUSTEES   OF   THE 

PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD  OF   PUBLICATION, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


W  E  8  T  c  o  T  T   &  Thomson, 
Stereoiypers  and  EUclrolypers,  Philada. 


GABOON    AND   CORISCO. 


p.  3. 


MC.  SEP  18' 
THSOLOGI' 


^^^:: 


PREFACE. 


Those  who  would  know  something  of  Africa,  and 
of  the  life,  labors  and  privations  of  our  devoted  mis- 
sionaries in  that  dark  land,  will,  we  trust,  find  a  deep 
interest  in  perusing  this  memoir  of  one  whom  God 
has  greatly  honored,  but  early  called  to  his  rest  and 
reward.  As  his  heart  burned  with  the  love  of  the 
gospel  and  the  cause  of  Christian  missions,  though 
dead,  he  may  yet  speak  to  those  who  are  the  hope  of 
the  Church  to  fulfill  her  mission  to  a  perishing  world. 
The  volume  has  been  prepared  mainly  for  the  young, 
and  our  earnest  prayer  is  that  God's  blessing  may  rest 
on  all  who  read  it.  It  consists  chiefly  of  Mr.  Paull's 
letters,  written  to  relatives  and  intimate  friends  with 
the  usual  freedom  and  familiarity  of  correspondence, 
and  without  the  remotest  idea  of  their  publication. 

3 


PKIKCETOIT       \^ 
MiC.  SEP  1882 
THSOLOGICAL 


GEORGE  PAULl/' 


•^ 


George  Paull  was  the  second  son  of  Joseph 
and  Eliza  Lea  Paull,  and  was  born  near  Connells- 
ville,  a  beautiful  and  romantic  village  on  the  banks 
of  the  Youghiogheny  River,  in  Fayette  County,  Pa., 
Feb.  3,  1837.  His  boyhood,  like  that  of  many 
of  Pennsylvania's  noblest  sons,  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm.  His  early  education  was  largely  in 
the  common  and  Sabbath-schools,  but  especially 
around  the  domestic  altar,  from  which  the  incense 
of  the  mornino^  and  evening;  sacrifice  ascended — 
the  place  where  young  hearts  are  prepared  for 
Christian  and  missionary  work. 

Full  of  youthful  ardor  and  enterprise,  with  his 
elder  brother  and  other  companions  George  often 
sported  on  the  rugged  banks  of  Dunbar  Creek, 
and  the  craggy  steeps  of  the  Laurel  Mountain, 
adjacent  to  his  lovely  home.  Here  he  drank 
health  from  the  mountain  breezes,  and  vigorous 
thoughts  and  imaginations  from  the  bold  scenery 


Mliich  oil  I'vcrv  liaiid  grci'tcd  liis  eve.  Wliilf  liiri 
yoiiii!^  liio  was  tlius  being  developed  into  maidiood, 
God  was  preparing-  him,  hy  faithful  teachings  and 
fervent  prayei-s,  for  a  higher  life  of  spiritual  eonse- 
cration. 

Children  are  God's  heritage,  and  he  ealls  and 
qualifies  theni  for  his  service.  For  this  he  puts 
into  operation  fitting  instrumentalities.  Chief 
among  these  are  the  family  altar,  the  Sabhath- 
school  and  the  church.  To  all  these  George 
evinced  an  early  and  strong  attachment.  Pie  was 
an  earnest  pu[)il  in  the  Sabbath-school  and  Bible- 
class,  often  taking  the  prize  for  good  conduct  and 
successful  recitations.  Being  of  a  modest  and  gen- 
erous disposition,  these  honors  were  cheerfully  ac- 
corded to  him  by  all.  In  church  he  was  always 
an  attentive  and  profited  hearer  of  the  word  of 
life.     Thus  he  grew  in  knowledge  as  in  stature. 

He  commenced  classical  and  mathematical  studies 
under  the  Rev.  R.  Stevenson,  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Connellsvillc,  continued  them  in 
Dunlap's  Creek  Presbyterian  Academy,  and  after- 
wards under  Prof  John  Frazer,  from  Cromarty, 
Scotland,  the  succcssiul  wrangler  for  the  llutton- 
ian  prize  in  the  University  of  St.  Andrews — for  a 
time  president  of  the  Royal  College  in  the  Bermu- 


\i^^jr 


Early  Hojie. 


,s»i"'^ 


p.  7. 


GKonOK  FAVLL.  7 

das,  and  afterwards  professor  of  mathematics  in 
Jefferson  College,  Pa. — a  teacher  of  high  qualifica- 
tions. With  such  preparatory  training,  young 
Paull,  with  his  older  brother,  A.  Torrence  Paull, 
entered  Jefferson  College  at  Canonsburg,  where 
he  graduated  with  high  credit  in  the  class  of  1858, 
ill  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Though  he  frequently  had  seasons  of  deep  con- 
cern about  his  spiritual  state  and  prospects,  it  was 
not  till  the  spring  of  1858,  during  a  revival  of 
religion  in  the  college,  that  he  obtained  a  hope  in 
Christ  and  made  a  public  profession  of  religion, 
which  he  did  in  the  church  at  Connellsville,  of 
which  his  father  is  a  ruling  elder. 

After  leaving  college,  Mr.  Paull  went  to  jNIissis- 
sippi  and  taught  for  a  short  time.  But  realizing 
his  call  of  God  to  preach  Christ,  he  returned  and 
entered  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Alle- 
gheny, Pa.,  where  he  spent  three  years  diligently 
preparing  for  his  great  life  work  of  preaching 
Christ  to  the  heathen.  The  love  of  Christ,  and  a 
burning  desire  to  save  those  sitting  in  utter  dark- 
ness, fired  his  heart  and  inspired  his  daily  medi- 
tations and  prayers  for  divine  direction.  In  April, 
1861,  at  the  outbreak  of  our  terrible  civil  war,  he 
was,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  licensed   to 


8  GKORUK  PA  I'LL. 

])iTiu'li  the  irospcl  of  grace  and  good  will  to  men. 
In  April,  1862,  he  completed  his  course  in  the 
seminary. 

Fully  realizing  his  call  of  God  to  the  missionary 
work  in  the  foreign  field,  he  ofiered  his  name  to 
the  General  Assembly's  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
for  the  work  in  Africa,  and  was  accepted.  But  on 
account  of  the  embarrassed  condition  of  the  Board, 
arising  from  the  civil  war,  he  could  not  be  sent  on 
his  mission  immediately.  For  a  time  he  supplied 
Tyrone  and  Sewickley  churches,  then  without  a 
pastor,  Avhere  he  is  affectionately  remembered  as 
the  devout  and  earnest  preacher  whose  sole  aim 
was  to  bring  sinners  to  Christ.  At  the  suggestion 
of  the  author,  he  went  to  the  West  and  found  a 
vacant,  scattered  church  at  Morrison,  Illinois,  in 
the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River,  to  which  he  minis- 
tered with  great  popularity  and  success.  From 
their  earnest  entreaties  to  become  their  pastor,  he 
found  it  dilficult  to  tear  himself  away  to  obey  the 
call  of  God  to  preach  the  gospel  to  poor  benighted 
Africa.  When  his  devoted  friends  at  Morrison 
gathered  around  him,  and  besought  him  with  tears 
to  abide  with  them  in  the  pastoral  work,  his  spirit 
was  sorely  tried.  But  his  sense  of  duty  to  Christ 
and  the  perishing  heathen  prevailed.     He  was  or- 


GEORGE  FAULL.  9 

dained  an  evangelist  for  the  missionary  work,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  in  October,  18G3. 

Mr.  Paull  was  regarded  by  all  who  knew  him 
as  a  Christian  and  minister  of  rare  piety  and  prom- 
ise. As  a  son,  he  was  affectionately  devoted  to  his 
parents,  who  early  dedicated  him  to  God  in  Chris- 
tian baptism,  and  prayerfully  nurtured  him  in  the 
doctrines  and  duties  of  religion.  As  a  friend,  he 
Avas  remarkably  ingenuous  and  constant.  As  a 
student,  he  was  conscientious,  diligent  and  suc- 
cessful, beloved  and  admired  by  his  companions 
and  teachers.  His  scholarship  was  highly  respect- 
able; his  understanding  was  comprehensive;  his 
imagination  fertile  and  chaste ;  his  memory  good, 
and  his  taste  refined.  His  reading  and  observation 
were  not  so  extensive  as  they  were  judicious  and 
l)rofitable,  of  the  kind  best  adapted  to  qualify  him 
for  his  cherished  work  of  preaching  "  Christ  and 
him  crucified." 

His  piety  was  peculiarly  simple  and  artless, 
deep,  earnest  and  practical.  It  was  of  that  lovely 
type  which  distinguished  the  beloved  disciple. 
His  large  heart  was  an  utter  stranger  to  the  spirit 
of  selfishness  and  censoriousness,  and  his  ]i])s  to 
the  speech  of  unkindness;  but  both  were  familiar 
with  thoughts  and  expressions  of  goodness.     Emp- 


10  (.lEOltilE  rAULL. 

tied  of  .self",  he  clung  to  (Christ  and  his  rightenus- 
ncss  witli  jnost  aU'ectlonate  devotion.  He  felt 
bound,  in  covenant  fidelity,  by  earnest  prayer  and 
self-examination  to  find  daily  experience  in  his 
inner  life  that  would  attest  the  gracious  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit;  hence,  he  would  call  himself 
to  account  before  God,  and  confess  his  sins  and 
shortcomings  in  duty  with  deep  humiliation  of 
spirit.  This  is  seen  in  his  letters  and  diary  of 
missionary  labors  and  spiritual  life  in  Africa. 
Active  and  laborious  beyond  his  physical  strength, 
full  of  holy  zeal  and  charity,  he  was  ever  elab- 
orating schemes  of  usefulness.  The  burden  of 
the  Lord  on  his  heart  continually  was,  that  he 
and  others  might  be  fully  awake  to  their  high 
responsibility  in  working,  praying  and  giving  for 
Christ  and  the  salvation  of  the  perishing  in  all 
lands.  Few  men  of  his  age  have  evinced  such 
weanedness  from  the  world  and  devotion  to  Christ, 
such  wakeful,  tireless  sympathy  with  all  efforts 
to  sow  the  seeds  of  salvation  beside  all  M'aters, 
even  to  the  remotest  pai'ts  of  the  pagan  world. 

As  a  preacher,  !Mr.  PauU  was,  in  the  best  sense, 
eminently  popular.  His  preaching  was  scriptural, 
pungent,  tender,  earnest,  practical  and  faithful. 
His  aim    was   not  the    iiitM'e   entertainment  of   his 


GKORilE  VAL'LL.  11 

hearers,  but  their  conversion  and  sanctification 
through  the  truth,  Avhich  he  pressed,  like  the 
sainted  McCheyne,  in  such  winning  and  cogent 
strains  that  young  and  old  would  congregate  in 
crowds  to  hear  him. 

Of  a  portly  and  commanding  presence,  with  a 
deep,  full  and  wonderfully  sweet  and  persuasive 
voice,  fervent  and  eloquent  in  sentiment,  logical 
and  forcible  in  argument,  natural  and  striking  in 
his  illustrations,  and  withal  filled  with  love  to 
Christ  and  the  souls  of  men,  he  never  failed  to 
stamp  his  burning  thoughts  on  the  hearts  of  his 
audience  and  win  souls  to  Jesus.  Who  that  heard 
his  sermons  on  Christian  missions  can  ever  forget 
their  ardent  s})irit  and  melting  power  as  he  pleaded 
for  the  cause  of  Christ  among  the  heathen  ?  He 
seemed  to  verify  that  tender  of  personal  agency, 
"  Here  am  I,  send  me."  Although  his  popular 
talents  and  manners  seemed  to  mark  out  for  him  a 
ministerial  career  in  some  large  city  church,  yet  his 
self-denying  spirit  and  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  the 
destitute  determined  him  to  one  of  the  humblest 
and  must  })erilous  of  all  the  fields  of  missionary 
work — a  missionary  to  Africa,  Now  that  his  work 
is  quickly  done,  and  the  INIaster  has  called  him  to 
the   unfading  crown,  the    Church   might  well    in- 


12  GEOnOE  PAVLL. 

scribe  on  the  beautiful  marble  monument  erected 
to  his  memory  by  parental  affection  in  the  cemetery 
at  Corisco,  as  her  estimate  of  his  character,  "  By 
the  grace  of  God,  a  bright  example  of  devotion  to 
the  missionary  work."  This  noble  standard-bearer 
liaving  fallen,  the  Church  looks  earnestly  to  see 
his  likeness  reproduced  in  some  of  her  sons,  who 
shall  seize  and  bear  the  banner  onward  to  final 
victory  in  reclaiming  Africa  for  Christ.  But  let 
us  permit  him  to  speak  for  himself,  and  in  his 
familiar  letters  and  the  brief  notes  of  his  diary 
tell  the  story  of  his  missionary  life. 

On   his   arrival   at  New  York,   on   his   way  to 
Africa,  Mr.  Paull  wrote  to  his  parents : 

New  York,  Nov.  27,  1SG3. 
"To-night  I  am  in  Astoria,  at  the  house  of  Dr. 
Lowrie.  I  arrived  to-day  at  noon,  went  to  the 
mission-house,  met  Mr.  Rankin  and  Dr.  Lowrie, 
also  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  missionaries  to  Africa. 
Secured  a  passage  in  the  steamer  'City  of  London' 
for  Liverpool.  The  vessel  sails  to-morrow  at  noon, 
and  I  leave  America  perhaps  for  many  a  day; 
but  there  is  no  sadness  in  it  to  me,  for  I  look 
beyond,  I  hope.  Instead  of  sailing  from  Liver- 
pool, I  am  to  sail  from  Glasgow,  Scotland,  as  that 
is  the  port  to  which  the  vessel  belongs.     So  after 


GEORGE  PAULL.  13 

sailing  to  Liverpool,  I  go  to  Glasgow,  and  it  is 
possible  I  may  have  to  be  there  for  a  considerable 
time.  The  steamer  on  which  I  go  to  Liverpool  is 
one  of  the  very  best,  so  that  you  need  have  no 
uneasiness  on  that  score,  I  do  not  think  you  can 
hear  from  me  again  until  I  reach  Liverpool,  when 
I  hope  to  write  to  you  at  some  length.  Good-bye 
till  then,  and  may  the  blessing  of  our  heavenly 
Father  rest  on  you  all." 

Again,  he  writes  to  them  from  on  board  of  the 
steamer  "  City  of  London  "  : 

"  Dec.  7,  1863. 

"  Many  a  league  from  shore  to-day,  we  are 
steaming  on  the  broad  Atlantic,  but  by  noon  ou 
to-morrow,  if  Providence  favor,  we  hope  to  reach 
the  harbor  of  Cork,  Ireland,  and  thence  about  a 
day  will  bring  us  to  Liverpool.  Our  voyage  thus 
far  has  been  most  prosperous,  speedy  and  pleasant 
— fair  winds  and  favoring  tides  all  the  way.  On 
account  of  the  heavy  fog  on  Saturday,  28th,  we  did 
not  get  out  of  ISTew  York  harbor  until  Sabbath 
morning;  we  left  the  wharf  at  7  A.  M.,  and  sailed 
down  the  channel,  with  Staten  Island  on  our  right 
and  Long  Island  on  our  left.  Passing  the  three  or 
four  bristling  forts  for  the  defence  of  the  harbor, 
and  the    'lightship,'    as   it  is  called — a  ship  that 


14  GEOnCE  FA  I'LL. 

always  stands  anclioivd  in  the  bay,  and  is  lit  up 
at  night  as  a  landmark  to  the  proper  channel — 
and,  passing  out  of  Sandy  Plook,  we  drojjpcd  our 
pilot  and  soon  were  out  of  sight  of  land.  Tiie 
passengers  (about  thirty-five  or  forty)  nearly  all 
gathered  on  deck,  for  the  sake  of  the  fresh  air,  aud 
there  with  busy  tread  they  passed  to  and  fro,  in 
hopes  of  driving  away  all  symptoms  of  the  dreaded 
sea-sickness,  but  it  was  a  useless  expedient;  sea- 
sickness would  come ;  and  ere  long  one  of  our 
gentlemen,  a  State  Senator  from  New  Jersey,  grew 
suddenly  pale,  and  hurried  off  to  the  railing  at  the 
stern  of  the  vessel,  and  we  saw  but  little  more  of 
him  for  several  days.  Many  more  of  my  fellow- 
passengers,  from  time  to  time,  slipped  off  more 
quietly  to  their  state-rooms,  there  to  roll  about  in 
misery  for  almost  half  the  voyage.  All  of  the 
passengers  are  about  now  and  able  to  appear  at 
table,  but  some  of  them  look  pale  and  a  little  thin. 
You  are  anxious  to  know,  I  sni)pose,  how  I  came 
through  this  general  epidemic.  Unexpectedly  to 
myself  (but  I  can  scarcely  say  that,  for  I  did  not 
really  expect  to  be  much  sick),  I  had  but  little  of 
it.  I  felt  a  little  nausea  for  a  few  days,  and  once 
or  twice  ?/.'a^  relieved  of  my  supper,  but  generally 
I    had   a  good    appetite   an<l   was    in    my  seat  at 


GEORGE  PAULL.  15 

the  table,  and  now  I  am  as  comfortable  as  the  land 
could  make  me. 

"  This  is  the  ninth  day  out  from  New  York,  The 
weather,  generally,  since  we  started  has  been  quite 
pleasant,  one  or  two  days  very  bright  and  sunny. 
"We  have  no  variety  of  scenery  here;  every  day,  in 
respect  to  that,  is  alike :  a  large  circular  basin  of 
dashing  waves,  expanding  far  as  the  eye  can  reach 
and  meeting  the  horizon,  is  the  scenery  for  one 
day  and  for  all.  The  waves  do  not  seem  very 
high,  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  but  they  are 
rolling  and  dashing  against  each  other,  sometimes, 
too,  breaking  clear  over  the  bulwarks  of  the  vessel. 
We  have  not  seen  a  vessel  since  we  left  New  York, 
nor  anything  that  has  life,  save  the  sea-gulls,  that 
constantly  follow  in  our  wake  in  large  numbers, 
picking  up  the  crumbs  and  waste  that  are  thrown 
overboard.  They  are  a  beautiful  bird  as  they 
skim  around  and  over  the  deck  of  the  vessel. 
They  are  about  the  size  of  pigeons,  white,  all  ex- 
cept their  backs  and  the  tops  of  their  wings.  Some- 
times at  night  the  waters  present  a  beautiful  sight, 
as  the  vessel  ploughs  through  them  and  rolls  them 
back  all  sparkling  and  bright  as  though  filled  with 
electric  sparks. 

"I  have  been  very  fortunate  in  getting  a  good 


16  GEOIUJK  PA  I'LL. 

steamer  for  crossing  the  ocean  ;  everything  about  it 
is  in  superb  order.  It  is  the  newest  of  the  Phila- 
delphia, New  York  and  Liverpool  line,  which  runs 
regularly  and  carries  the  mail  between  New  York 
and  Liverpool.  It  is  an  iron-plated  steamer,  most 
substantially  built  at  the  cost  of  half  a  million  of 
dollars.  Officers  and  stewards  are  very  gentle- 
manly and  polite,  all  of  them  Englishmen.  I 
could  give  you  no  idea  of  the  appearance  of  an 
ocean  steamer,  unless  it  be  that  it  looks  like  an 
immense  black  boat  with  a  deck  rising  up  inside 
of  it  a  few  feet  higher  than  its  sides,  and  on  top 
of  this  are  the  three  masts  and  sails.  Under  the 
deck  is  the  cabin,  about  one  hundred  feet  long  and 
forty  wide;  in  it  the  passengers  sit  and  take  their 
meals.  The  next  story  below  the  cabin  is  filled  up 
with  state-rooms,  all  fitted  up  most  comfortably. 
I  have  one  to  myself.  Under  the  state-rooms  is 
the  hold,  which  is  used  for  freight,  etc. 

"Life  on  board  the  vessel  is  very  dull  and  lazy. 
Most  of  the  passengers  lounge  around  on  the 
cushioned  seats  that  run  all  around  the  cabin, 
reading  or  talking  or  dozing,  feeling  too  unsettled 
both  in  stomach  and  mind  to  undertake  anything 
that  would  require  much  energy.  We  have  break- 
fast every  morning  at  9  o'clock,  lunch  at  12  o'clock, 


GEORGE  FAULL.  17 

dinner  at  4  o'clock,  and  tea  at  6|  o'clock.  Our 
dinners  are  generally  sumptuous,  consisting  of  four 
or  five  courses,  and  requiring  about  one  hour  and 
a  half  to  get  through  thera  :  first  course  soups — 
ox-tail,  clam  or  mock-turtle ;  then  meats  and  fowls 
of  all  kinds,  prepared  in  almost  every  way ;  then 
cheese  and  celery;  then  pastry,  pies,  puddings, 
tarts,  etc.;  then  fruits,  apples,  oranges,  figs,  raisins, 
almonds,  English  walnuts,  etc.  This  is  a  pretty 
sumptuous  bill  of  faro,  but  it  will  not  be  long 
until  we  shall  be  able  to  change  this  style  of  living 
for  something  plainer. 

"Our  passengers  are  all  pleasant  and  genteel. 
They  are  a  mixed  company  of  English,  Scotch, 
Canadians,  French  and  Americans,  Protestants, 
Roman  Catholics  and  infidels,  one  honorable,  two 
or  three  sea-captains,  and  the  rest  I  believe  are 
private  individuals.  Among  the  captains  (who  are 
all  blockade-runners)  are  two  who  were  taken 
about  Wilmington.  One  commanded  the  Robert 
Lee,  which  was  captured,  and  the  other  the  Venus, 
which  was  burned.  Seven  or  eight  of  our  passen- 
gers are  ladies.  One  lost  her  husband  and  her 
only  child  on  this  vessel  as  it  came  over  to  New 
York  the  last  time,  and  now  she  is  going  back 
again  in  it  to  her  home,  desolate  enough.     I  like 

2 


38  GEORGE  FA  I'LL. 

tl)e  youug  Senator  from  Xew  Jersty  very  nmcii, 
Presbyterian  proclivities  brought  us  together.  His 
father  was  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  his  brother 
is  one  also,  and  is  now  settled  in  Springfield,  Ohio. 
The  one  with  whom  I  am  most  intimate  is  a  young 
merchant  from  Xew  York,  who  attends  Dr.  Phil- 
lijjs'  ciuirch.  Dr.  Lowrie  introduced  me  to  him 
just  as  we  were  going  aboard.  He  has  often 
been  across  the  ocean,  and  I  find  it  an  immense 
advantage  to  have  such  an  acquaintance.  He 
seems  to  be  a  very  modest,  noble  fellow. 

"  We  had  service  on  board  yesterday  (Sabbath) — 
Church  of  England  service — in  the  morning,  read 
by  the  captain,  as  is  the  rule  of  the  ship;  and  I 
preached  in  the  afternoon  at  1  o'clock.  I  had  a 
very  pleasant  little  audience,  and  preached  with  a 
good  deal  of  satisfaction,  though  it  was  difficult  to 
keep  steadily  on  my  feet,  as  the  vessel  rolls  all  the 
time.  Indeed,  it  is  a  pretty  difficult  matter  to 
write,  and  I  hope  this  will  excuse  the  more  than 
usual  unrecvdahleness  of  my  letter. 

"  The  apples  and  cakes  whicli  Lizzie  de})ositcd 
in  my  trunk  I  fetched  out  a  few  nights  since,  and 
found  them  all  very  nice,  more  especially  so  as 
they  had  the  flavor  of  home.  Everything  that 
suggests  home  is  pleasant  to  the  taste  or  sight.     It 


GEOPME  PAULL.  19 

was  a  sore  pang  to  part  with  all  that  I  hold  clear 
on  earth,  and  yet  I  feel  sure  that  it  is  of  the  Lord, 
and  I  rejoice  exceedingly  that  he  has  called  me 
and  given  me  grace  to  do  even  this  little  for  him. 
My  days,  I  think,  are  now  as  happy  as  almost  any 
that  I  have  ever  spent,  in  prospect  of  the  work 
that  God  has  called  me  to  do,  and  that  he  has  con- 
ferred this  great  favor  on  me — sending  me  to  the 
heathen  to  tell  the  story  of  Christ  and  the  cross. 
I  have  no  doubt  in  regard  to  the  fulfillment  of 
that  promise  to  those  that  forsake  father  and 
mother,  etc.  I  trust  that  I  can  now  lay  claim  to 
it,  and  I  am  assured  that  Christ  will  be  to  me 
more  than  all  earthly  things. 

"  There  is  a  gentleness  and  kindness  in  Dr.  Low- 
rie's  manner  very  attractive.  He  and  his  father 
made  me  a  present  of  four  or  five  books  before  I 
came  away — Walter  Lowrie's  '  Memoirs  and  Ser- 
mons,' etc.  He  and  Mr.  Rankin,  Mr.  Waugh, 
and  Mr.  Beatty  of  New  Brunswick,  came  down 
with  me  to  the  ship  to  see  me  off.  Mr.  Waugh 
promised  to  drop  you  a  letter  to  say  that  I  got  off 
safely,  as  you  could  not  hear  from  me  again  until 
I  arrived  at  Liverpool. 

"  Tuesday,  Dec.  8. — This  morning,  for  the  first 
time  since   leaving  New  York,  we   saw  the   land 


20  GEORGE  FAULL. 

again,  and  right  glad  we  all  were.  Sailing  up  the 
Irish  channel,  just  to  our  left  lay  Old  Ireland.  Its 
rugged  shores  looked  bleak  and  barren  enough  at 
the  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  but  when  we 
drew  nearer  they  looked  better.  At  Queenstown, 
the  harbor  of  Cork  (about  twelve  o'clock),  we 
stopped  long  enough  to  send  off  some  of  our  pas- 
sengers by  a  tug  which  steamed  up  to  us.  The 
shores  looked  green  and  all  hedged  off  into  little 
fields.  On  the  hillside  we  saw  a  flock  of  goats 
quietly  browsing.  The  houses  seemed  a  good  deal 
lower  than  ours,  apparently  built  of  stone,  and 
roofed  with  thatch.  On  the  other  side  of  us  was 
an  island  on  which  the  Irish  keep  their  convicts. 

"To-day  it  is  gloomy  and  drizzling,  but  not  cold, 
nor  has  it  been  since  we  left.  A  good  deal  of  fog 
is  still  hanging  over  us  as  we  steam  up  the  Irish 
Channel,  and  now  night  has  come  on ;  but  by  9  or 
10  o'clock  to-morrow  we  hope  to  be  in  Liverpool. 
An  old  captain  on  board  tells  me  tlmt  this  will  be 
the  quickest  trip  ever  made  by  a  screw  steamer.  I 
saw  a  sailor-boy  climb  to  the  mast  head,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  above  deck.  They  are  a  merry 
set  of  fellows.  They  work  their  ropes  to  a  song, 
and  good  music  they  make  of  it.  I  shall  not  have 
time  to  write  in  the  morning,  so  I  will  close  to- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  21 

night,  and  mail  my  letter  from  Liverpool  to-mor- 
row. I  may  go  to  Glasgow  by  way  of  London, 
and  will  of  course  write  to  you  again  from  Glasgow. 
A  gi^eat  deal  of  love  to  each  member  of  the  family, 
and  may  the  richest  blessings  of  our  Father  in 
heaven  rest  on  you  all." 

"  London,  Dec.  12,  1863. 

"  My  Dear  Sister  :  As  you  see,  I  am  in  the 
great  city  to-night,  and  have  already  spent  two  or 
three  days  here  seeing  the  wonders  of  England's 
great  capital. 

"My  last  letter  I  wrote  at  sea  and  mailed  iu 
Liverpool.  I  ho^ie  it  reached  you  in  due  time. 
When  I  landed  at  Liverpool,  I  found  that  I  had 
several  days  before  the  vessel  was  to  sail  from  Glas- 
gow for  Africa,  and  so  I  concluded  to  pay  a  visit  to 
London.  My  baggage  I  sent  on  to  Glasgow  by  a 
clever  young  Scotchman  of  Glasgow,  with  whom  I 
became  acquainted  on  board  the  vessel. 

"  We  landed  safely  at  Liverpool  on  Wednesday 
morning,  had  our  baggage  examined,  but  the  exam- 
ination really  amounted  to  nothing.  Mr.  Thorp 
and  I  footed  it  from  there  up  to  the  railway  depot 
for  London,  stopping  on  the  way  at  the  Liverpool 
Exchange,  wdiich  is  said  to  be  much  more  magnif- 
icent than  the  great  London   Exchange.     Both  of 


22  GEORGE  PAULL. 

them  are  iiiiincnse,  massive  stone  buildings,  sup- 
ported on  great  columns.  W'itiiin  the  courts  are 
scores  of  burly  brokers  and  speculators  of  every 
description,  chattering  and  chaffering  and  striking 
bargains.  I  visited  also  St.  George's  Plall,  in  which 
they  hold  their  courts,  etc.  It  also  is  built  of  stone, 
and  in  magnificence  and  grandeur,  without  and 
within,  it  far  surpasses  anything  I  had  ever  seen 
before.  Indeed,  when  standing  before  it,  as  well  as 
before  many  other  buildings  I  have  since  seen,  I 
have  been  dumb  with  amazement,  and  feel  utterly 
unable  to  give  a  description  of  them.  I  started  for 
London  the  same  evening  about  4  o'clock,  and  was 
hurried  along  at  almost  lightning  speed  until  about 
9  o'clock,  when  we  found  ourselves  landed  in  the 
midst  of  cabs  and  cabmen  at  the  London  depot — 
distance  over  two  hundred  miles.  In  company 
■with  some  others  I  took  a  cab  and  went  to  the  Ter- 
minus Hotel,  at  the  end  of  the  great  London  bridge, 
a  good  hotel  and  of  very  moderate  charges.  Their 
hotel  system  here  is  very  different  from  ours.  For 
instance,  we  paid  two  shillings  (half  a  dollar)  for 
room  and  bed,  and  then  we  could  take  our  meals 
wherever  we  liked.  It  is  much  cheaper  and  as  pleas- 
ant to  get  them  at  some  coffee-house.  A  mutton 
chop  and  cup  of  coffee  for  breakfast,  at  about  a  shil- 


GEORGE  FAULL.  23 

ling;  and  a  mutton  chop  here  is  ahnost  equal  to  a 
dish  of  oysters  in  point  of  delicaey — so  rich  and 
juicy.  We  do  not  know  anything  about  them  in 
America.  On  Thursday  morning,  Mr.  Greenly  (a 
young  man  who  came  over  with  us  in  the  vessel) 
and  I  started  out  to  see  the  sights.  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral  was  the  first  object  of  interest  to  which 
we  bent  our  steps.  So,  passing  down  by  the  pier 
of  London  Bridge  to  the  river  Thames — and 
London  Bridge,  by  the  way,  deserves  a  word,  it  has 
so  great  a  fame;  but  it  is  not  imposing  in  appear- 
ance. There  is  no  wood,  no  wire,  no  paint  about  it : 
all  stone  and  mortar.  The  arches  beneath,  and  the 
side  walls  running  up  four  or  five  feet  from  the  floor, 
and  the  floor  paved  with  stone  just  like  the  street, 
is  all  that  there  is  of  it.  But  then  London  Bridge 
is  such  a  wonderful  thoroughfare.  In  the  after- 
noons it  is  a  strange  sight  to  see  the  pell-mell  rush 
of  wagons,  cabs,  omnibuses,  all  mixed  up  and  mov- 
ing to  and  fro  as  best  they  can,  and  footmen  in  the 
same  dilemma. 

"But  to  St.  Paul's  we  took  a  boat  at  the  pier — 
little  tugs  that  steam  up  and  down  the  river  with 
wonderful  rapidity,  carrying  passengers  at  a  penny 
apiece  to  any  distance  almost  — and  ran  up  to 
the  St.  Paul's  wharf,  and  from  that  a  short  walk 


24  GEORGE  PAULL. 

brought  us  to  the  cathech-al.  But  of  that  grand 
old  pile  of"  stone,  rising  upward  toward  the  clouds 
more  thau  four  hundred  feet,  I  can  scarcely  say 
anything  that  would  be  satisfactory.  You  would 
think  me  wonderfully  enthusiastic  if  I  should  at- 
tempt to  speak  anything  as  I  feel  in  regard  to  it. 
Entering  by  the  north  door,  you  are  at  once  in  the 
main  and  ceutral  j)art,  an  immense  amphitheatre,  in 
which  you  might  place  almost  a  score  of  churches, 
steeples  and  all.  All  around  this  vast  dome,  on 
the  walls  and  against  them  and  against  the  col- 
umns, are  monuments  and  sculptures  with  inscrip- 
tions to  the  memory  of  the  great  dead — generally 
their  full-length  effigies  carved  in  marble.  You 
look  up,  and  about  three  hundred  feet  above  you, 
all  around  the  inside  of  the  dome,  are  splendid 
paintings  illustrative  of  incidents  in  Scripture. 
From  the  floor,  by  paying  two  shillings,  you  are 
taken  by  guides  to  the  very  crown  (a  flight  of  over 
six  hundred  steps),  and  a  weary  climb  it  is.  Your 
first  landing-place  is  oi)  the  'First  Gallery,'  abont 
two  hundred  feet  high  on  the  outside;  the  next  is 
the  'Golden  Gallery,'  about  one  hundred  feet 
higher,  and  from  here  one  can  see  all  over  Lon- 
don. But  the  day  was  foggy.  Greenly  and  1,  as 
most   others    do,  cliinbed    on    until    we    stuck   our 


GEORGE  PAULL.  25 

heads  up  into  the  inside  of  the  topmost  crown.  Of 
course  there  was  no  danger,  as  it  is  all  inside  of 
the  building;.  We  then  came  down  and  looked  at 
the  clock,  which  is  about  two  hundred  years  old, 
and  reminds  you  of  a  small  saw-mill  running  sev- 
eral circular  saws.  Then  we  gave  a  glance  at  the 
library  and  the  f/rcat  bell  and  the  circular  stairway, 
■which  are  all  well  worth  a  careful  survey.  It 
really  seems  as  if  it  were  worth  a  trip  across  the 
Atlantic  to  j)eep  into  St.  Paul's. 

"  In  the  vaults  below,  through  which  we  also 
went,  lie  the  bones  of  those  who  died  centuries 
ago,  and  some  of  later  date,  as  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington and  Lord  Nelson,  I  think,  and  Benjamin 
West,  the  great  artist  from  our  own  land  (Pennsyl- 
vania). Never  lived  there  a  man  in  Great  Britain, 
I  suppose,  whose  memory  is  so  revered  as  that  of 
the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Near  to  his  tomb,  M'hich 
is  a  splendid  mausoleum,  is  deposited  the  car  on 
which  he  was  drawn  by  ten  black  horses  to  his 
last  resting-place.  It  is  a  splendid  and  costly 
affair;  the  wheels  (twelve  in  nurab'er)  are  all  brass, 
moulded  from  the  cannon  which,  I  think,  he  cap- 
tured at  Waterloo.  The  body  of  the  car  is  cov- 
ered with  black  cloth,  adorned  with  trappings  and 
immense  ostrich   plumes.      Around    the   walls  of 


2G  GEORGE  rAULL. 

the  vault  are  hung  black  cloth  and  trappings  and 
armor.  The  vault  is  lit  up  by  candles  constantly 
kej)t  burning. 

"After  sj)en(ling  some  hours  thus  most  pleas- 
antly in  8t.  Paul's,  we  dined,  and  went  to  visit 
the  Houses  of  Parliament.  These,  too,  are  very 
gorgeous.  They  are  just  across  the  street  from 
the  old  Westminster  Abbey.  Entering  at  the 
door  and  passing  through  an  immense  hall,  high 
and  arched,  we  ascended  a  few  steps  and  then  en- 
tered another  hall  to  the  left.  Each  side  of  this 
hall  was  lined  with  full-length  statues  of  England's 
great  ones — Pitt  and  Grattan  and  others.  At  the 
end  of  this  hall,  right  and  left,  are  the  House  of 
Commons  and  the  House  of  Lords.  I  went  into 
the  House  of  Commons,  but  I  cannot  describe  its 
gorgeousness.  The  House  of  Lords  was  closed,  and 
visitors  were  not  admitted  except  on  Saturdays. 
But  by  permission  of  one  of  the  police,  who  are 
always  in  attendance,  I  got  into  a  hull  from  which, 
through  a  glass  door,  I  could  get  a  peep  at  its 
magnificence.  The  throne,  on  which  her  majesty 
sits  when  she  presides,  was  covered  over,  so  that  I 
did  not  get  a  sight  of  it.  The  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment are  right  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Thames. 

"  We  next  passed  over  to  the  great  Westminster 


GEORGE  PAULL.  27 

Abbey,  memorable  in  English  history  for  many  a 
century.  Parts  of  it  yet  remain  in  the  old  Saxon 
and  Norman  style  of  architecture.  Beneath  its 
pavements  lie  the  bones  of  many  a  monk  interred 
before  the  Reformation,  some  of  them  eight  or 
nine  hundred  years  ago.  Here  all  of  England's 
kings  and  queens  have  been  crowned  for  many  a 
generation;  and  here  also  lie  their  bones.  The 
whole  building  is  an  immense  aftair,  splendidly 
adorned  with  all  that  the  sculptor's  chisel,  in  times 
both  ancient  and  modern,  could  supply.  Many 
of  the  windows  are  filled  with  the  most  beautiful 
Sciiptural  designs,  painted  on  the  glass.  Here  I 
stood  on  the  graves  of  Addison  (of  the  Spectator) 
and  Southey  and  Johnson  and  Garrick  and  Sheri- 
dan and  Campbell  and  Spenser.  Macaulay,  too, 
lay  near  by,  and  many  others  of  the  noble  dead. 
They  lie  just  under  the  stone  floor;  some  of  them 
have  slabs  lying  over  them,  and  almost  all  have 
busts  and  inscriptions  to  their  memory  on  the  wall. 
I  stood,  too,  beside  the  tomb  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
for  whose  memory  (although  she  was  a  great  queen) 
I  do  not  have  any  wonderful  respect.  Mary,  Queen 
of  Scots,  whom  she  so  hated  in  life,  lies  near  her  in 
death,  and  I  stood  beside  her  vault,  on  top  of 
which  is  her  full-length  statue,  recumbent. 


28  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"  In  one  of  the  chapels  I  was  shown  the  stone 
chair  on  which  the  nionarchs  of  England  are 
crowned,  and  have  been  for  a  long  time  back.  It 
looks  old  and  rusty,  and  seems  to  have  been  cut 
out  of  solid  stone.  On  one  side  of  the  Abbey  is 
an  entrance  for  the  royal  family,  along  which  no 
others  are  allowed  to  tread.  In  one  part  of  (he 
Abbey,  service  is  kept  up  twice  a  day  all  the  year 
round — the  service  of  the  Established  Church,  the 
same  as  the  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  with 
the  exception  of  some  little  formalities,  viz.,  bow- 
in  o;  the  head  whenever  the  name  of  Christ  is  men- 
tioned  ;  chanting  their  prayers  ;  having  their  choirs 
composed  of  little  boys  in  white  robes.  I  have  not 
seen  any  of  the  royal  family  since  I  have  been  in 
London,  nor  any  of  the  nobility,  as  they  are  all 
out  of  the  city. 

"  English  people,  so  far  as  I  have  met  with 
them,  seem  to  be  very  kind,  noble-hearted  and 
polite.  If  you  ask  for  information  on  the  street, 
or  anywhere,  from  the  highest  class,  they  are  all 
attention,  and  seem  AviJling  and  anxious  to  do  you 
all  the  kindness  in  their  power.  I  think  they  feel 
kindly  toward  Americans,  and  wish  Americans  to 
feel  so  roward  them.  On  every  hand  they  say, 
'  When   are  you    going  to  get   through   with   this 


GEOROE  PAULL.  29 

war?*  It  is  a  terrible  pity  to  have  so  miieli  blood 
shed.'  But  they  will  admit  that  the  North  could 
uot  well  do  otherwise  than  she  has  done. 

"  Englishmen  recognize  Americans  almost  as  soon 
as  they  speak,  and  some  of  them  take  a  great  pride 
in  it,  and  soon  give  you  to  understand  that  they 
know  where  you  are  from.  Their  accent  and  the 
pronunciation  of  some  of  their  words  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  ours,  so  I  am  sure  there  would  be  no 
trouble  in  recognizing  an  Englishman  anywhere. 

"  But  to  return  to  our  travel  around  the  city. 
After  leaving  Westminster  we  took  a  hansom — a  gig 
which  is  the  most  common  conveyance  here,  a 
heavy-wheeled  affair  with  one  horse,  the  driver  sit- 
ting on  a  seat  on  the  top  behind — and  drove  around 
by  St.  James'  Park  and  Buckingham  Palace,  which 
is  fine,  very  fine  indeed,  but  yet  not  so  imposing  as 
might  be  expected  for  the  residence  of  England's 
Queen;  and  then,  passing  first  Hyde  Park,  down 
through  Temple  Bar — Mdiich  is  an  arched  gateway, 
once  the  outward  entrance  to  the  city  when  it  was 
walled — past  St.  Paul's  and  over  London  Bridge  to 
the  Terminus  Hotel.  But  enough  of  description 
for  this  time.  I  shall  not  get  off  from  Glasgow 
for  Africa   until  the  first  of  January.     If  I   had 

*  The  civil  war  then  unhappily  raging  in  the  United  States. 


30  GEORGE  FA  I'LL. 

known  this,  I  miglit  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
staying  longer  at  home.  But  God  has  ordered  it  as 
it  is  for  the  best,  and  I  am  content,  as  I  trust  I  ever 
shall  be  when  I  walk  in  the  way  in  which  God 
leads  me.  I  am  happy,  though  I  have  a  strange 
feeling  of  being  cut  off  from  the  sweets  of  home 
and  friends,  a  wayfarer,  a  stranger,  journeying 
slowly  onward,  I  trust,  toward  the  heavenly  City 
of  which  the  Lord  God  hath  said,  '  I  will  give  it 
thee.'  I  am  expecting  to  take  the  morning  train 
for  Glasgow,  to  await  the  sailing  of  the  vessel  for 
Africa." 

Mr.  Paull  writes  his  first  letter  from  Scotland  to 
his  two  younger  brothers: 

"Glasgow,  Dec.  21,  1863. 
"For  nearly  a  week  I  have  been  snugly  and 
pleasantly  settled  in  this  old  but  thriving  city  of  the 
Scots.  Look  at  the  map,  and  you  will  find  it  on 
the  banks  of  the  Clyde,  a  little  river,  and  once  of 
not  much  note ;  but  latterly  its  channel  has  been 
deepened,  so  that  the  largest  vessels  now  sail  up  to 
the  city.  To  this  it  owes  its  present  wonderful  pros- 
perity." After  a  brief  description  of  the  city,  he 
says :  "  On  my  arrival  at  Glasgow,  last  Tuesday 
night,  I  stopi^ed  at  the  Queen's  Hotel,  and  a  very 
fine  one  it  is.     While  I  think  of  it,  I  must  tell  you 


GEORGE  PAULL.  31 

of  some  Highlanders  that  I  saw  there.  Tliey  were 
the  largest  and  finest-looking  men  that  I  have 
seen.  Their  dress  was  the  peculiar  part.  First,  a 
short  coat  extending  down  below  the  waist,  then, 
fastened  under  that,  and  extending  down  to  the 
knees,  was  a  petticoat — 'kilt'  they  call  it.  Their 
stockings  reached  up  nearly  to  their  knees,  and 
this  was  their  full  dress — no  pants  on — so  you  may 
imagine  there  was  a  good  opportunity  for  the 
wind  to  whistle  about  them  on  a  cold  day,  for  their 
legs  were  entirely  bare  except  the  clothing  I  have 
mentioned.  They  were  officers  of  a  Highland 
regiment  in  the  British  army,  and  this  is  their 
usual  dress. 

"IsText  morning  I  went  to  hunt  up  Mr.  Laugh- 
land,  in  whose  ship  I  am  to  go  out.  He  was  not  in, 
but  one  of  his  clerks,  who  has  spent  some  years  on 
the  coast  of  Africa,  asked  me  if  I  was  Mr.  Paull, 
and  said  that  a  Mr.  Thompson,  who  had  been  a 
missionary  on  the  coast  of  Africa  at  Calabar,  and 
was  now  at  home  recruiting  his  health,  at  his  uncle's 
house,  wanted  to  see  me.  The  clerk  took  me  down 
to  call  on  him,  and  they  so  insisted  on  my  making 
my  home  with  them  that  I  could  not  refuse  with- 
out being  rude.  So  here  I  am,  feeling  perfectly  at 
home,  and  receiving  every  kindness,  in  this  warm- 


32  GEORGE  PAULL. 

hearted  Scotch  family.  The  family  consists  of  the 
missionary  and  his  sister  (a  young  lady),  an  uncle 
and  aunt,  both  unmarried.  They  are  all  pleasant, 
and  great  friends  to  the  missionaries.  They  seem 
to  make  it  a  point  to  entertain  all  missionaries  who 
come  along  this  way. 

"  Mr.  Thompson's  station  is  a  few  hundred  miles 
north  of  that  to  which  I  go.  I  met  also  a  mission- 
ary and  his  wife  just  starting  out  to  Calabar.  It 
seems  to  be  a  short  trip  from  here  to  Africa,  a  good 
many  missionaries  going  and  returning,  and  young 
men  going  out  as  clerks  and  traders  along  the  coast. 
I  find  I  am  not  likely  to  get  off  before  the  middle 
of  January.  The  ship  is  not  yet  returned  from  the 
coast,  but  is  expected  about  New  Year.  It  will 
then  be  to  load  and  repair." 

Mr.  PauU  resumes  his  report  of  sights  in  Lon- 
don, and  says:  "I  found  my  way  to  the  British 
Museum,  and  there,  in  that  wonderful  collection  of 
natural  history  (nor  are  works  of  art  by  any 
means  wanting),  I  spent  most  of  the  day.  It 
is  a  great  building,  covering  perhaps  an  acre  or  two, 
with  immense  rooms  hundreds  of  feet  long,  run- 
ning in  every  direction,  and  these  filled  with  collec- 
tions of  every  kind,  from  every  clime.  Going  up 
stairs,  almost  the  first  things  that  I  saw  were  Du 


GEORGE  PAULL.  33 

Chaillu's  gorillas,  three  of  them  (stuffed,  of  course), 
and  one  of  them  an  immense  creature.  There 
were  stuffed  elephants,  rhinoceroses,  giraffes,  lions, 
bears,  deer,  antelope,  and  every  kind  of  animal  you 
could  mention,  and  hundreds  of  animals  which 
you  have  never  seen,  nor  even  heard  their  names. 
In  the  departments  for  the  birds,  I  suppose  I 
may  safely  say  there  were  tens  of  thousands 
of  stuffed  specimens,  of  every  size  and  shape 
and  color,  from  almost  every  clime  under  the 
sun.  In  the  department  for  reptiles  it  was  the 
same — alligators,  lizards,  snakes,  seals,  the  walrus, 
etc.  There  was  also  a  department  for  geological 
collections  which  was  very  interesting — the  bones 
of  animals  duo;  from  the  earth  after  havino;  been 
buried  for  ages ;  rocks  of  different  kinds,  with 
every  possible  impression  of  plants  and  animals 
and  reptiles  on  them.  There  were  also  departments 
for  the  antiquities  that  have  been  found  in  the 
ancient  cities.  Layard's  discoveries  are  there  from 
Nineveh,  etc.  Also  mummies  from  Egypt,  mum- 
mied cats  and  mummied  dogs.  Also  sarcophagi 
from  Greece  and  Rome,  Indian  curiosities,  and 
curiosities  from  Greenland  and  Iceland— clothes 
of  skin,  sledges,  etc.  Besides  these,  they  have  vast 
libraries  containing  thousands  upon  thousands  of 


34  ai:()U<!K  j'jrij,. 

voliuncs,  and  also  autograpli  lettei's  and  inamiscrij)ts 
l)y  the  great  men  of  the  world  for  many  centuries 
haek.  1  saw  the  original  will  of  iNIarv,  Queen  of 
Seots,  and  the  prayer-book  which  Lady  Jane  Grey 
used  on  the  scaffold  ;  some  of  the  writings  of  Mil- 
ton and  Addison,  written  with  their  own  hands.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  give  you  a  deserij)tion  of 
the  things  that  are  there,  and,  even  if  it  could  be 
done,  it  would  not  be  very  satisfactory.  But  I 
hope  you  may  one  day  be  able  to  see  them  for  your- 
selves. Good-bye.  Give  much  love  to  all  ;  and 
that  you  may  be  noble  and  faithful  boys  is  the 
prayer  of  your  brother." 
To  his  parents  he  writes : 

"  Glasgow,  Dec.  29,  1863. 
"  From  old  habit,  I  suppose,  I  feel  that  I  ought 
always  to  be  at  least  doing  something  toward 
Avriting  you  a  letter  every  week.  Those  I  have 
already  mailed  since  I  landed  on  this  side  of  the 
water  I  trust  have  duly  come  to  hand.  ^Nly 
tlioughts  wander  back  and  cluster  around  my  old 
home  with  a  daily  constancy.  But  I  have  been 
kindly  kept  from  either  sadness  or  loneliness,  so 
that  I  trust  you  may  never  have  occasion  to  think 
of  me  in  any  other  way  than  as  calmly  content  and 
hapi)y    in    treading    the    path  which    I    trust   the 


GEORGE  PAULL.  35 

jn'ovidence  of  God  has  marked  out  for  me.  The 
lines  have  fallen  to  me  in  pleasant  places  here,  and, 
unexpectedly,  I  have  been  set  down  among  as  kind 
friends  as  I  could  have  met  with  in  my  own  land. 
From  the  very  first  they  have  taken  me  in  and 
treated  me  with  the  most  kind  and  careful  attention, 
making  me  feel  as  perfectly  at  home,  almost,  as 
though  I  had  known  them  all  my  life.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  family  are  all  warm-hearted  Christians, 
and  their  being  so  intimately  interested  in  the  mis- 
sionary work,  through  their  nephew  and  his  father 
(who  was  also  a  missionary,  and  died  away  in  the 
interior  of  Africa),  they  have  a  kindly  sympathy 
for  all  who  are  wending  their  way  to  and  from  the 
heathen. 

'*  The  nephew  has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Africa, 
was  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  when  his  father  died,- 
and  was  with  him  on  an  expedition  into  the  interior 
at  the  time.  After  his  father's  death,  he,  being  the 
only  white  person  in  the  company,  took  charge  of 
the  expedition  back  again  to  Sierra  Leone.  After 
this  he  came  to  Scotland  for  his  education,  and  went 
out  again  as  a  missionary  to  Calabar,  a  few  hundred 
miles  north  of  Corisco.  He  has  since  then  been 
out  ten  years,  spending  five  years  there,  and  then 
cominir  home  a  xciw  or  two  to  recruit.     I  hear  so 


36  GEORGE  PA  ULL. 

much  of  the  coast  of  Africa  that  it  scarcely  seems 
to  be  a  far-off  land,  and  all  that  I  have  heard  has 
but  heightened  my  zeal  for  the  work,  and  iielped  at 
least  to  confirm  the  hope  that  my  call  to  go  there  is 
indeed  of  God. 

"I  have  had  a  glimpse  or  two  at  Glasgow  peo- 
ple at  a  public  '  tea-party,'  a  peculiar  institution 
on  this  side  of  the  water.  These  parties  are  held  in 
their  large  halls.  I  was  at  one  last  night  in  the 
City  Hall,  given  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  A  shilling  at  the  door  admits  you. 
AVithin,  the  seats  are  ranged  alongside  of  narrow 
tables  running  the  whole  length  of  the  hall.  On 
these  are  seated  a  vast  assemblage,  awaiting  the 
dealing  out  of  the  pojndar  beverage.  At  the  ap- 
pointed hour  (7  o'clock)  the  chairman,  a  tall  Scotch 
baron,  took  his  seat,  and  after  a  short  prayer  the  tea- 
drinking  commenced,  and  cakes  of  various  kinds 
were  served  with  it.  This  lasts  half  an  hour,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  evening  is  filled  up  with 
speeches,  generally  from  the  more  eminent  minis- 
ters of  the  city.  The  evening  passed  away  very 
pleasantly.  The  speeches  were  good,  generally 
having  some  bearing  on  the  association.  This  cus- 
tom of  so  much  public  speech-making  must  be  a 
great  tax  on  the  ministers,  in  addition  to  the  duties 


GEORGE  PAULL.  37 

connected  with  their  various  charges  ;  and  yet  they 
seem  in  a  measure  obliged  to  take  part  in  these 
things,  or  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  busy  city.  I  was 
at  another,  in  honor  of  the  installation  of  Dr. 
Brown  over  one  of  the  churches,  much  the  same 
in  kind  as  this  of  which  I  have  spoken. 

"  You  will  perhaps  wonder  how  my  Christmas 
was  spent,  as  I  also  was  striving  to  guess  how  you 
were  all  enjoying  yours.  By  previous  invitation, 
I  went  to  partake  of  a  family  dinner  at  a  brother 
of  Mr.  Thompson's,  in  another  part  of  the  city. 
We  dined  on  roast  turkey  and  plum  pudding, 
which  is,  I  believe,  the  favorite  Christmas  fare 
with  both  English  and  Scotch.  I  met  at  the 
dinner  a  very  pleasant  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Shields,  a  relative,  I  believe,  of  the  Thompsons. 
He  has  since  sent  me  an  invitation  from  his  pastor 
to  preach  for  him  on  next  Sabbath,  which  I  agreed 
to  do  on  the  morning  of  the  day.  There  are  sev- 
eral eminent  ministers  here  that  I  want  to  hear 
before  I  go  away.  Dr.  McDuff,  the  author  of  the 
'Morning  and  Night  Watches,'  is  settled  here;  also 
Andrew  Bonar,  author  of  the  life  of  McCheyne. 
I  heard  on  last  Sabbath  Dr.  Eadie,  a  celebrated 
Scotch  commentator;  also  two  other  ministers  of 
considerable  note. 


38  GEORGE  PAULL. 

''  The  vessel  (Elgiva)  is  expected  in  from  the 
coast  of  Africa  in  a  few  days  now,  and  thin  in 
about  twelve  days'  time  she  will  be  ready  to  sail 
again.  She  is  a  new  vessel,  and  has  an  excellent 
captain.  The  voyage  requires  about  two  months. 
A  letter  was  received  by  Mr.  Thompson  this 
morning  from  Mr.  Bushnell,  of  the  mission  on  the 
Gaboon  River,  opposite  Corisco.  He  seemed  afraid 
that  our  missionary  privileges  might  be  restricted 
at  Corisco,  as  a  Jesuit  priest  was  soon  to  be  sta- 
tioned there  by  the  Spaniards. 

"But  I  had  not  yet  finished  giving  you  an  ac- 
count of  my  London  visit  when  I  closed  my  last, 
so  I  will  devote  part  of  this  letter  to  that.  After 
I  had  visited  the  British  Museum,  I  concluded  to 
take  up  my  lodgings  near  the  central  part  of  the 
city.  I  found  a  boarding-house  right  by  Charing 
Cross,  which  is  the  great  omnibus  centre,  from 
M'hich  you  can  get  an  omnibus  to  any  part  of  the 
city.  I  had  very  nice  quarters.  Next  morning, 
going  down  to  the  Thames,  I  took  a  boat  up  past 
the  London  Bridge  to  the  old  Tower  of  London, 
so  famous  in  English  history.  Paying  a  shilling 
at  the  entrance,  I  found  a  guide  who  led  tiie  way 
across  the  old  moat,  now  dry,  into  the  frowning 
and  massive  walls  of  stone  to  the  Horse  Armory. . 


GEORGE  PAULL.  39 

Here  were  mock  men  on  mock  horses,  clad  in  steel 
armor  which  had  been  worn  by  kings  and  nobles 
from  Edward  I.  (1272)  down  to  James  II.  (1685). 
The  suits  on  men  and  horses  were  polished  bright 
and  clean — beautiful  relics  of  the  times  that  are 
past.  Some  of  them  were  of  immense  w^eight;  a 
wonderful  burden  for  a  horse  to  bear  must  have 
been  old  Henry  VIII.,  with  his  own  ponder- 
ous body  and  his  full  suit  of  steel  plate  and  the 
armor  for  his  horse !  There  were  armors  that  a 
score  of  other  kings  (as  Henry  YII.  and  Richard 
III.)  and  noblemen  had  worn,  and  some  of  smaller 
size,  which  had  been  the  property  of  young  princes. 
In  addition  to  these,  there  were  lances  and  spears 
of  every  age,  and  swords  and  pistols  and  guns 
innumerable. 

"  In  another  room  I  saw  the  block  on  which 
three  Scotch  lords  had  been  beheaded,  and  the 
head-axe  with  which  Lady  Jane  Grey  was  said  to 
have  been  executed.  In  another  apartment  the 
guide  pointed  out  the  croivn  jewels,  kept  in  a  glass 
case  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing.  Victoria's 
crown  was  there,  resplendent  with  gold  and  jewels, 
also  the  crown  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the 
queen's  golden  sceptre,  and  much  other  gold  and 
jewels,  in  value  about  three  millions   of  dollars. 


40  GEORGE  PAULL. 

In  another  apartment  I  saw  where  the  prisoners 
have  been  kept  in  ages  long  gone  by.  The  .stone.4 
were  carved  with  varions  names  and  devices  by 
those  who  liad  been  confined.  In  the  outer  yard 
was  marked  the  spot  where  the  executions  had 
taken  place  by  the  block  and  axe. 

"From  the  Tower  a  boatman  rowed  me  to  the 
Tiiames  Tunnel,  a  remarkable  arched  road  running 
under  the  river  from  one  shore  to  the  other.  On 
each  side  of  the  tunnel  are  little  shojjs  and  stalls 
for  shops — many  of  them  unoc;cnpied  —  running 
the  whole  way.  Musicians  at  different  places  are 
constantly  making  the  tunnel  ring  with  their 
strains,  hoping  to  pick  up  an  occasional  penny 
from  the  passers-by  in  return  for  their  melody. 
AV'hile  the  tunnel  was  being  built,  I  was  told  that 
the  water  of  the  river  once  broke  through,  and 
even  carried  a  flatboat  through  with  it.  The 
current  Avas  checked  by  throwing  in  sand-bags 
from  above.  Another  curiosity  which  I  saw,  but 
did  not  travel  on,  is  an  imdergvound  railroad  run- 
ning for  several  miles  immediately  under  the  streets 
of  the  city.  There  are  depuis  through  the  city, 
and  steps  leading  down  to  the  railroad. 

"  The  last  day  I  spent  in  the  city  was  chiefly  at 
the  Zoological   Gardens  in  Regent's  Park,  and  a 


GEORGE  PAULL.  41 

delightful  place  they  are  to  visit.  Among  all  the 
interesting  things  that  I  saw,  this  was  by  no  means 
the  least.  This  is  a  large  enclosure,  with  houses 
and  stalls  and  large  cages,  in  which  are  collected 
all  manner  of  beasts  and  birds  from  almost  every 
part  of  the  world.  A  sixpence  was  the  price  of 
admission.  The  boys  would  think  it  a  wonderful 
treat.  The  monkey-cage  generally  had  a  crowd 
about  it,  for  the  pranks  of  the  creatures  were 
amusing  beyond  description.  Parrots,  too,  were 
there  from  every  clime,  and  bears  and  lions;  an 
old  elephant  and  a  baby  elephant ;  immense  hippo- 
potami and  giraffes  and  ostriches — one  a  most  beau- 
tiful specimen,  with  glossy  black  plumage  over  him, 
except  the  wings  and  tail,  which  were  white;  and 
for  size  he  was  monstrous.  As  I  stood  by  the  en- 
closure, he  reached  his  head  over  high  above  my 
own.  Everything  looked  plump  and  in  fine  con- 
dition, very  different,  indeed,  from  those  that  are 
usually  seen  in  traveling  menageries.  These  im- 
mense gardens,  with  their  rare  inhabitants,  are  kept 
up  partly  at  the  expense  of  the  city  and  partly  by 
private  enterprise. 

"In  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath  that  I  spent  in 
London  I  went  to  hear  the  great  Spurgeon,  as  simple, 
plain  a  gospel  preacher  as  I  ever  listened  to.     His 


42  GEORGE  PAULL. 

sermons  are  food  for  the  soul.  His  tabernacle,  which 
holds  five  or  six  thousand,  was  full,  as  indeed  is 
always  the  case,  and  at  nights  it  is  often  so  crowded 
that  hundreds  cannot  find  seats.  It  is  built  with 
two  rows  of  galleries  running  all  the  way  round, 
and  his  pulpit  projects  a  considerable  distance 
toward  the  centre.  !Mr.  Spurgeon  is  a  heavy-set 
man,  not  very  tall,  with  a  round,  happy  face.  He 
speaks  with  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  but  not  very 
loud  ;  no  one,  I  think,  however,  even  the  farthest 
off,  has  any  difficulty  in  hearing  him.  He  speaks 
without  notes,  has  but  few  gestures,  and  is  en- 
tirely free  from  affectation.  I  went  in  the  after- 
noon to  Dr.  Hamilton's  church,  but  found  it  closed. 

"  AVith  much  love  and  a  happy  new  year  to  you 
all,  I  bid  you  good-night.  And  may  our  Father 
still  bless  and  protect  us,  though  absent  far  one 
from  another." 

Another  letter  to  his  parents  from  Glasgow  is 
dated 

"Glasgow,  Jan.  11,  1864. 

"To-morrow,  ]\Ir.  Th()mj)sun  (the  missionary), 
his  sister,  and  a  Miss  Stuart  and  I,  start  on  a  visit 
to  Edinburgh,  Melrose  Abbey  and  Abbotsford. 
This  little  trip  I  have  been  putting  off  for  some 
time,  knowing  that  1  have  several  weeks  for  sight- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  43 

seeing.  A  long  delay  it  has  been,  and  it  might 
have  been  a  most  tiresome  one  had  not  the  Lord 
placed  me  in  tlie  hands  of  such  kind  friends,  who 
make  it  their  study  to  show  me  every  possible  kind- 
ness and  try  to  keep  me  from  thinking  the  time 
long ;  so  that,  although  I  have  felt  anxious  to  be 
away  as  soon  as  possible  and  at  my  work,  I  have 
had  a  most  delightful  stay  in  Scotland.  I  hope  I 
am  learning  this  lesson  :  to  be  content  with  what- 
ever the  Lord  sends  me.  I  have  now  some  pros- 
pect of  getting  away.  The  ship  Elgivahas  not  yet 
arrived,  but  is  reported  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  and 
will  be  in  Glasgow  perhaps  to-morrow,  I  may 
expect  to  sail  for  Africa  about  the  first  of  February. 
I  have  been  waiting  so  long  that  now  the  certain 
prospect  of  getting  off,  though  somewhat  distant, 
seems  most  gratifying.  My  time  has  been  passed 
pleasantly  enough,  but  if  I  could  have  had  my  own 
choice  I  would  have  spent  more  of  it  in  reading 
and  writing.  But  the  family  have  always  had  some 
plan  on  foot  to  fill  up  the  time — one  day  away 
through  the  Cathedral  and  the  Necropolis — the 
cemetery  of  Glasgow — the  last  very  different  from 
ours.  It  is  a  large  terraced  hill,  and  every  terrace 
filled  with  monuments  of  stone,  granite  or  marble. 
These  are   short  and  thick,  so  that  every  terrace 


44  GEORGE  PA  ULL. 

gives  y(  u  tlie  impression  of  a  rampart  or  fortifica- 
tion of  some  kind.  The  hill  presents  a  very  grand 
appearance  as  it  rises  in  the  distance,  with  its 
weight  of  monnmental  stones  and  its  solemn  aspect. 
There  is  a  fine  monument  here  to  the  memory  of 
John  Knox,  though  his  body  lies  elsewhere.  I  saw 
the  grave  of  Motherwell,  the  poet.  Near  by  is  an 
inscription  to  the  memory  of  nine  men  who  were 
martyred  during  the  persecution  in  Scotland  many 
hundred  years  ago.  The  lines  on  the  stone  are 
peculiar.  The  last  two,  speaking  of  the  persecutors, 
run  about  thus : 

'They  shall  know  at  the  judgment-day 
That  to  murder  saints  was  no  fine  play.' 

"  I  went  over  the  Clyde  on  yesterday  (Sabbath) 
a  week,  and  preached  for  Rev.  Mr.  Birkmyer  of  the 
Free  Church.  He  is  a  young  man,  lately  settled 
in  a  most  important  charge.  I  feel  a  sympathy  for 
him,  for  his  work  will  be  heavy  enough.  On  yester- 
day morning  I  went  to  hear  Dr.  Caird,  but  was  dis- 
a])pointed,  as  he  did  not  preach.  The  church  in 
which  I  sat  is  one  in  which  Dr.  Chalmers  w-as  for 
a  long  time  settled  (Tron  Church),  and  in  Avhich  he 
delivered  his  great  astronomical  discourses.  In  the 
afternoon  I  preached  for  the  Eev.  Mr.  Middleton 


GEOROE  PAULL.  45 

in  one  of  the  oldest  chnrclies  in  the  city,  which  has 
about  twelve  hundred  members.  I  preached  to  as 
attentive  an  audience  as  I  ever  saw.  This  I  notice 
among  the  Scotch — that  they  give  good  heed  to 
every  one  that  addresses  them.  When  the  minister 
reads  they  have  their  Bibles  and  follow  him.  Their 
singing  is  altogether  congregational.  A  precentor 
leads  and  the  congregation  all  join.  I  have  not 
seen  a  church  with  an  organ,  and  they  sing  David's 
psalms,  the  old  version. 

"We  went  to-day  to  the  City  Hall  to  attend  a 
meeting  of  the  National  Bible  Society,  saw  quite  a 
large  crowd  and  heard  several  very  good  speeches. 
The  Duke  of  Argyle  presided,  and  made  a  good 
speech.  A  noble  man  he  seems  to  be,  and  thoroughly 
interested  in  everything  good.  I  heard  a  speech 
from  the  Eaid  of  Dalhousie,  and  part  of  one  from 
Rev.  Sir  Henry  Moncrief ;  so  that  for  one  day  I 
saw  a  good  many  representatives  of  the  nobility, 
and  worthy  specimens  they  are.  There  is  a  most 
astonishing  deference  and  respect  shown  to  rank 
here  by  every  one. 

"  My  New  Year  was  spent  here.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's brother  and  family  were  all  with  us.  We  had 
a  great  dinner,  like  that  on  Christmas.  On  Saturday 
Mr.  Thompson  and  I  took  a  trip  into  the  country 


4G  GEORGE  PAULL. 

and  a  ramble  over  the  liills  at  the  foot  of  tlie  High- 
lands. AVe  met  some  marks  wliicli  the  old  Ro- 
mans had  left  when  they  held  possession  here — 
one  old  stone  bri<l<>;o,  in  particnlar,  which  Mas  built 
seventeen  liundred  years  ago,  in  the  time  of  Hadrian. 
As  I  go  early  in  the  morning  1  will  have  to  close, 
for  it  is  now  late.  This  seems  to  me  a  very  un- 
satisfactory letter  to  send  so  far,  but  I  hope  to  do 
better  soon,  after  my  return  from  Edinburgh. 
Much  love  to  all  my  friends,  and  tell  them  all  to 
write,  for  I  shall  be  greedy  of  letters.  Good-night, 
and  much  love  and  many  blessings  on  you  all." 

To  his  sister  he  writes  : 

"Glasgow,  Jan.  27,  1SG4. 

"The  Elgiva  is  now  on  the  slip  being  examined, 
and  will  likely  be  off  and  loaded  by  the  last  of  this 
week  or  the  early  j)art  of  next.  Although  the 
delay  has  been  very  long,  it  may  all  be  for  the  best, 
for  even  if  we  had  got  off  several  weeks  sooner, 
like  many  other  vessels,  we  might  still  have  been 
tossing  about  in  the  Knglish  Channel,  unable,  on 
account  of  the  Minds,  to  make  the  oj)en  sea.  INIy 
acquaintance  here,  too,  has  been  extending,  so  as  to 
make  my  stay  as  pleasant  as  it  could  ])ossibly  be 
under  the  circumstances.  I  have  found  a  good 
many  Seoleii  friends,  mIioip.  \  shall  always  reniem- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  47 

ber  with  great  pleasure,  especially  the  Thompsons, 
with  whom  I  am  staying,  who  have  proved  them- 
selves friends  such  as  are  worth  haVing.  I  hope 
I  may  never  forget  their  kindness,  and  never  lose 
an  opportunity  of  showing  them  that  I  fully  ap- 
preciate it  all. 

"  Mr.  George  Thompson  and  I  started  on  a  trip 
to  Loch  Lomond.  The  weather  was  foggy  and 
sometimes  raining,  but  occasionally  we  got  a  peep 
at  the  sun.  We  took  the  train  down  the  Clyde  to 
Hellensburgh,  and  thence  struck  for  the  Highlands 
on  foot.  The  roads  were  delio-htful — all  macadam- 
ized  and  kept  in  fine  repair.  Our  way  lay  right 
up  over  the  hills,  and  through  the  moors  and  peat 
beds,  where  they  get  peat  for  burning;  all  the  land- 
scape around  looked  splendid,  just  from  its  rugged 
dreariness;  all  the  ground  covered  with  the  brown 
heather,  which  in  the  distance  looked  like  whortle- 
berry bushes.  We  saw  a  great  many  heath-fowls, 
about  the  size  of  a  pheasant,  but  no  one  is  at  lib- 
erty to-  shoot  them  without  license.  We  cauglit  a 
glimpse  of  some  beautiful  pheasants  on  the  estate 
of  Sir  James  Colrjuhoun — pheasants  not  such  as 
ours,  but  with  very  long  tails,  and  beautiful  bright 
plumage  about  the  neck  and  breast,  originally 
from    China    or    Persia.      On    the    way    we    were 


48  GEORGE  PAULL. 

cauglit  in  a  driving  shower,  but  took  shelter  be- 
hind a  stone  bridge.  After  a  walk  of  about  nine 
miles  we  came?  to  Luss,  stopped  at  the  inn  and  got 
some  refreshment,  and  then  trudged  on  three  and 
a  half  miles  farther  to  Invernglass  inn,  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  right  under  the  shadow  of 
old  Ben  Lomond.  There  we  stopped  for  the  night, 
and  had  a  good  supper  of  ham  and  eggs.  We 
were  none  the  worse  for  the  walk,  except  that  I 
had  blistered  my  heel.  However,  after  we  got 
rested  and  the  moon  was  fairly  up,  I  took  off  my 
shoes  and  put  on  the  landlord's  big  hrogans,  and 
away  we  started  for  a  walk  up  the  lake  by  moon- 
light. 

"  AYe  were  now  about  the  centre  of  the  lake 
(or  loch,  as  it  is  called,  about  thirty  miles  long  and 
from  three  to  five  wide),  and  right  opposite  stood 
Ben  Lomond,  with  its  top  white  with  snow  and 
covered  with  clouds.  Along  the  side  on  which  w^e 
walked  the  bare  hills  ran  up  almost  as  high,  and 
the  tops  were  also  covered  Mith  snow.  As  we 
walked  along  their  base,  down  came  rivulet  after 
rivulet,  jumping  from  rock  to  rock.  The  music  of 
one  had  not  died  away  on  our  ears  until  we  heard 
the  murmur  of  another.  The  whole  scene  was 
wild,  picturesque  and  beautiful.     Its  wildncss  and 


GEORGE  PAIJLL.  49 

strangeness  made  it  seem  almost  enchanting.  After 
a  while  we  wended  our  way  back  to  the  inn,  feel- 
ing in  good  trim  for  a  sound  sleep  after  about 
fourteen  miles  of  a  walk. 

"  Xext  morning,  after  breakfast,  we  climbed  up 
the  mountain  side  opposite  Ben  Lomond,  and  had 
a  noble  view  up  and  down  the  lake ;  and  while  we 
stood  there,  with  our  heads  almost  in  the  clouds,  a 
wild  snow  storm  swept  about  us,  and  far  above  us 
the  tops  of  the  mountains  were  white  with  snow, 
and  away  through  the  storm,  down  on  the  lake  be- 
low, we  saw  the  sunshine  glistening  on  the  waters ; 
and  along  the  lake  we  had  seen  some  roses  and 
daisies  in  bloom.  In  a  little  nest  among  these 
mountain  tops  we  came  across  a  beautiful  little 
lake,  called  the  Fairy  Lake,  and  from  it  a  good 
large  stream  goes  tumbling  down  the  mountain- 
side. The  Scotch  have  an  old  legend  connected 
with  this  little  lake.  The  fairies  here,  in  their 
mountains,  it  is  said,  once  had  their  abode,  and  at 
this  little  lake  they  did  their  dyeing,  not  only  for 
themselves  but  for  all  the  people  around.  As  the 
fairies  were  invisible,  of  course  each  old  lady  must 
bring  her  fleece  of  wool  and  lay  it  down  beside 
the  lake,  with  a  piece  of  yarn  thread  of  whatever 
color  she  wished   her  parcel  to   be  dyed.     But  a 


60  GEORGE  PA  I'LL. 

certain  war/  at  one  time  broiiglit  a  blacJ:  sheep^s 
fleece  with  a  white  thread  on  top  of  it.  This 
piece  of  malicious  waggery  so  offended  and  dis- 
gusted the  fairies  that  they  deserted  their  beau- 
tiful lake,  and  left  the  old  ladies  thereafter  to  do 
their  own  dyeing. 

"From  this  we  went  down  again  to  the  side  of 
the  lake,  and  up  along  it  on  a  splendid  macadam- 
ized road  until  we  came  to  a  Mr.  M'Farhind's, 
where  we  took  dinner.  He  had  belonged  to  the 
old  M'Farland  clan  of  Highlanders.  INIr.  Thomp- 
son knew  him,  having  spent  some  weeks  there  in 
the  summer.  After  dinner  we  went  on  u])  to  Tar- 
bet,  near  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  where  is  a  fine 
large  hotel,  and  some  beautiful  summer  residences, 
for  the  accommodation  of  those  who  wish  to  spend 
their  summers  on  the  shore  of  the  loch,  Nearly 
all  the  land  on  one  side  of  the  loch  is  owned  by 
Sir  James  Colquhonn,  and  he  has  his  residence  on 
a  beautiful  little  neck  of  land  that  puts  out  into 
the  loch.  At  Tarbet  w^e  took  the  little  steamer 
that  plies  up  and  down  the  lake,  and  sailed  down 
to  the  river  Leven,  which  is  the  outlet  of  Loch 
Lomond.  Here  we  took  the  cars  to  Bowling,  and 
walked  thence  to  Duntocher,  where  I  was  to 
preach  for  Mr.  Stark  on  the  next  day.     This  was 


GEORGE  PAULL.  51 

one  of  the  most  delightful  trips  I  ever  had.  Dim- 
toeher  is  a  town  of  cotton  mills,  nine  or  ten  miles 
from  Glasgow.  The  property,  amounting  in  value 
to  perhaps  two  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars,  was 
all  made  and  owned  by  one  man ;  but  now  he  is 
dead,  and  the  heirs  are  quarreling  over  his  will. 

"  On  Tuesday  I  came  into  Glasgow,  and  in  the 
evening  we  had  a  very  pleasant  little  party. 

"  Wednesday,  Feb.  3. — This  is  my  birthday, 
which  completes  my  27th  year.  I  hope  I  may 
grow  in  all  that  is  good  as  fast  as  I  do  in  years. 
I  was  out  to  take  tea  this  evening  at  Mr.  M'Cor- 
mick's.  Their  son  is  going  out  with  me  as  a  clerk 
to  the  Gaboon  River.  I  felt  for  the  poor  mother. 
As  we  spoke  of  his  going  away,  the  silent  tear 
would  trickle  down  her  cheek,  showing  the  feel- 
ings at  work  within.  There  are  three  young  men 
going  out  on  the  Elgiva,  the  only  passengers  be- 
side myself.  They  go  out  as  clerks  along  the  coast 
of  Africa.  I  hope  I  may  be  enabled  to  do  them 
some  good  on  the  voyage. 

"  Thursday,  4th. — It  seems  we  are  to  get  off,  at 
last,  on  day  after  to-morrow.  I  am  heartily  glad 
of  it.  To-day  I  must  make  some  calls,  and  to- 
morrow pack  up  my  trunks  and  send  them  on 
board.     I  will   finish   my  letter  to-day,  and  per- 


52  GEORGE  PAULL. 

haps  put  a  scrap  in  to-morrow  morning,  as  it  must 
be  mailed  to-morrow  to  get  off  this  week.  It  will 
be  a  long  time  before  you  hear  from  me  again, 
possibly  not  till  the  middle  or  last  of  June,  as  it 
will  take  about  two  months  to  reach  Africa,  and 
two  months  for  a  letter  to  return.  But  do  not 
feel  the  least  uneasiness  or  anxiety  about  me.  I 
have  firm  faith  that  our  God  who  guides  the  storm 
will  bring  me  safely  to  my  journey's  end;  and 
even  if  he  should  not,  still  all  will  be  well,  for  Ave 
shall  meet  again.  Let  me  be  often  remembered  in 
your  prayers,  as  I  know  I  am,  and  particularly 
that  I  may  be  a  blessing  to  these  young  men  who 
go  out  with  me.  I  long  greatly  to  hear  from  you 
all,  but  I  must  wait  patiently  till  I  arrive  at  Co- 
risco.  Mr.  Thompson  and  I  gathered  some  mosses 
and  ferns  on  the  banks  of  Loch  Lomond,  and  Miss 
Jessie  Thompson  has  arranged  them  nicely  for 
me  to  send  to  you  as  a  memento  of  my  trip. 

"And  now  I  pray  that  the  graces  of  Christ  may 
dwell  in  us  all  richly  while  we  live,  and  that  we 
may  all  at  last  sit  down  together  on  high. 

"Friday  Morning. — "VVe  expect  to  go  down  to 
the  bark  to-morrow,  and  perhaps  sail  out  in  the 
night  or  next  morning.  I  was  calling  on  some  of 
my  friends  yesterday  to  say  good-bye.      I   have 


GEORGE  PAULL.  53 

friends  in  Scotland  whom  I  will  always  remember 
with  pleasure.  I  have  my  trunks  packed,  and 
expect  to  send  them  aboard  this  evening.  Good- 
bye." 

To  his  parents  he  writes  after  sailing: 

"  Out  at  Sea,  Feb.,  1864. 

"I  intend  to  jot  down  such  things  as  I  think 
may  be  of  any  interest  to  you,  as  we  sail  along, 
and  send  the  result  to  you  at  the  first  opportunity. 
I  wrote  you  a  very  short  note  just  as  we  were 
putting  out  to  sea,  and  sent  it  back  by  the  captain's 
wife,  who  came  out  as  far  as  the  tug  and  went 
back  with  it,  but  I  had  not  time  to  speak  of  my 
departure  from  Glasgow.  On  the  Saturday  even- 
ing before  I  left,  we  were  all  out  at  Mr.  George 
Thompson's  brother's  for  tea — quite  a  company  of 
us.  We  had  a  season  of  prayer  together,  and  then 
Mr.  George  Thompson  and  I  started  for  Greenock, 
where  we  spent  the  Sabbath.  I  feel  under  never- 
ending  obligations  to  the  Thompson  family  ;  they 
have  been  kind,  very  hind  friends  of  mine,  and  I 
hold  them  in  high  esteem.  If  I  have  ever  an  op- 
portunity, I  will  try  to  show  them  that  I  do  really 
appreciate  all  their  deeds  of  kindness.  When  I 
started,  they  put  up  for  me  half  a  dozen  bottles  of 
raspberry  vinegar  to  mix  with  the  water  at  sea,  also 


54  GEORGE  FA  I'LL. 

two  nice  jar?  of  jelly  and  a  fine  big  Scotch  cake  with 
fruit  mixed  in  it.  Tlicy  seemed  sorry  to  liave  me 
go  away,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  sliall  look  back 
"with  h)nging  many  a  time  for  the  return  of  as 
])]casant  hours  as  I  sjient  in  that  family.  One 
thing  that  made  my  stay  delightful  and  profitable 
^vas  the  high  tone  of  piety  and  Christian  feeling 
among  them  all. 

"  Tuesday,  9th. — The  tug  left  us,  we  put  the  cap- 
tain's wife  aboard  of  her,  and  the  sailors  started 
her  off  with  cheers.  The  captain's  little  son  is 
along  Mith  us,  and  a  nice  little  fellow  he  is,  but 
very  delicate.  His  father  takes  him  in  hopes  that 
the  voyage  will  make  him  strong.  On  the  north 
coast  of  Ireland,  to-day,  we  passed  the  Giant's 
Causeway,  which  the  boys  will  know  about  from 
their  geography.  The  weather  is  fair,  and  we  were 
on  deck  part  of  the  time,  but  in  the  afternoon  the 
njotion  of  the  ship  made  us  all  sick,  and  we  were 
ol)li"ed  to  roll  into  bed. 

"Friday,  ]2th. — I  have  not  done  anything  since 
Tuesday  but  lie  in  bed  sick,  sick — not  dangerously 
ill,  but  then  the  most  dreadful  nausea  and  vomit- 
insT.  I  Avas  not  much  troubled  with  it  coming 
over  from  Kew  YiM'k,  but  this  time  I  have  caught 
it  in  its  full  force.     All  of  us  who  are  passengers 


GEORGE  PAIJLL.  55 

are  in  the  same  condition.  We  have  a  Dutch  stew- 
ard, a  very  clever  old  fellow,  who  watches  over  us 
very  tenderly,  tucks  the  clothes  in  about  us  in  bed, 
brings  food,  and  insists  on  our  eating.  This  after- 
noon two  or  three  of  us  climbed  up  on  deck,  and 
found  it  quite  pleasant,  as  the  sun  was  shining,  but 
the  breeze  was  pretty  cold ;  we  got  down,  however, 
behind  the  boats,  and  John  (Yahn)  brought  us 
some  boiled  potatoes  and  salt  and  cold  beef,  and 
we  made  out  to  eat  a  little. 

"  We  expect  to  have  morning  and  evening  pray- 
ers in  the  cabin,  and  preaching  regularly  on  the 
Sabbath. 

"  Tuesday,  16th. — For  the  last  few  days  we  have 
been  sailing  under  difficulties.  On  last  Friday 
night,  when  we  had  reached  about  the  53d  par- 
allel of  latitude,  off  the  west  coast  of  Ireland,  a 
terrible  gale  struck  us  and  threatened  to  blow  us 
away  backward.  But  immediately  all  hands  were 
on  deck,  and  the  sails  closely  furled  and  the  ship 
left  to  drift.  So  for  two  or  three  days  we  were 
tossed  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  the 
waves,  slowly  drifting  backwards  with  the  cur- 
rent. Sometimes  a  great  wave  would  strike  ns, 
and  make  the  ship  quiver,  and  again  the  waves 
would   break  clear  over  us,  and  send  the  salt  sea  in 


56  GEORGE  PAULL. 

upon  us  at  every  crevice,  until  the  floor  of  the 
ciibin  and  state-rooms  was  entirely  wet,  and  also 
most  of  the  bedclothes.  Mine,  however,  remained 
pretty  comfortable  all  the  time. 

The  poor  seamen  had  a  terrible  time  of  it,  as 
many  of  them  had  to  be  on  deck  in  the  midst  of 
the  rain  and  storm.  The  deck  is  just  a  plain 
flat  top,  rather  narrow,  and  without  a  bit  of  rail- 
ing. How  the  men  stood  up  on  it  in  the  midst 
of  a  gale,  while  the  ship  was  tossing  like  an  egg- 
shell, and  turning  almost  halfway  over  on  her 
side,  I  suppose  only  a  seaman  can  tell.  Most  of 
us  spent  rather  sleepless  nights.  Indeed  to  me  it 
was  a  time  of  anxious  watchfulness,  and  much  of 
the  time  was  spent  in  examining  my  own  heart,  to 
know  how  my  case  stood.  We  were  doubtless  in  a 
good  deal  of  danger,  and  it  was  at  least  a  time 
when,  if  ever,  one  should  be  thoughtful  and  anx- 
ious to  know  his  case.  I  endeavored  to  put  all  ray 
concerns  in  the  hands  of  Christ,  and  to  feel  that 
they  rested  securely  there.  And  yet,  oh  how  I  felt 
that  if  ever  such  a  sinner  as  I  be  saved,  it  must  be 
'just  so  as  by  fire,'  fleeing  as  a  man  flees  from  a 
burning  building,  escaping  naked  from  the  flames! 
God  knows  just  how  to  deal  with  his  people,  and 
1  trust  he  if?  saying  to  me  in  this,  'Fix  your  eye 


GEORGE  PAULL.  57 

more  steadily  on  Christ,  and  never,  never  remove 
it  until  you  arrive  in  glory.' 

"  On  Mfinday  the  captain  concliided  to  put  back 
to  harbor  and  wait  for  a  change  of  wind,  and 
arrange  his  deck  load  of  boards  better;  for  the 
boarils  had  been  tossed  in  such  a  way  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  for  the  sailors  to  get  about  over 
them.  He  intended  to  take  Belfast  as  the  nearest 
and  best  harbor  (on  the  north-east  coast  of  Ireland), 
but  when  he  got  around  there  this  morning,  he 
found  such  a  fine  and  favorable  wind  blowing,  and 
everything  so  promising,  that  he  determined  to 
keep  on  down  St.  George's  Channel,  and  out  to  sea 
by  that  way,  not  stopping  at  all,  but  arranging  the 
boards  as  we  go.  So  here  we  go  to-day  down  the 
channel  with  a  fine  breeze  and  the  sea  as  smooth  as 
a  lake  and  the  sun  out  beautifully.  We  are  all 
over  our  sea-sickness,  and  now  the  sailing  is 
pleasant. 

''Thursday,  Feb.  18. — Last  evening  we  sailed 
down  past  Dublin,  but  too  far  off  to  see  it.  The 
bay  is  beautiful,  and  we  saw  the  hills  round  about. 
As  we  go  down  the  channel  we  see  sails  in  every 
direction,  and  old  Ireland  in  the  distance  still  keeps 
in  view.  To-day  we  are  beginning  to  get  things 
put  to  rights — bed-rooms  cleaned  up — and  things 


58  GEORGE  PAULL. 

wear  a  more  cheerful  aspect.  The  breezes  bear  us 
down  the  channel  at  about  four  or  five  miles  an 
hour.  The  sea  is  smooth,  with  scarcely  a  ripple, 
and  the  sun  is  out  brightly  and  the  day  is  almost 
as  pleasant  as  spring.  I  spend  most  of  my  time 
now  in  reading.  I  have  got  hold  of  a  volume 
of  Rev.  E.  Erskine's  sermons,  which  are  rich 
and  full  of  gospel  marrow. 

"  Wednesday,  Feb.  24. — I  have  -svritten  nothing 
since  the  18th,  chiefly  because  we  have  been  tossed 
up  and  down  most  of  the  time  with  squalls.  At 
one  time  we  had  to  furl  our  sails  and  lie  to  for 
twenty-four  hours ;  yesterday  morning,  however, 
we  started  on  our  way  again  at  seven  or  eight  knots 
an  hour,  but  still  the  sea  is  tossing  us  furiously. 
Sometimes  we  are  thrown  from  one  side  of  the  cabin 
to  the  other.  Our  soup  John,  the  steward,  brings 
us  in  bowls,  and,  instead  of  putting  them  on  the 
table,  we  hold  them  in  our  hands.  Our  seats  are 
two  hair-cloth  sofas — one  at  each  side  of  the  table 
— securely  fastened  to  the  floor.  John  is  a  good 
cook,  and  when  the  weather  is  fair,  he  gets  up 
a  fine  dinner,  with  plum-pudding  for  dessert. 
But  when  the  ship  is  tossing  we  take  just  what 
"we  can  get :  potatoes,  cold  meat  and  hard  crack- 
ers— hard  taok,  as  our  soldiers  call  it — and,  as  we 


GEORGE  PAULL.  59 

have  no  cream  for  our  coffee,  I  drink  mine  in  its 
j)urity,  without  sugar. 

"'  The  captain,  who  is  a  very  j^leasant  man,  about 
fifty-three  years  of  age,  gave  me  one  of  his  caps  and 
a  tiiick  monkey-jacket  to  wear  wlien  I  go  on  deck. 
He  shows  me  every  kindness  possible.  The  three 
young  men  (fellow-passengers)  are  all  very  gentle- 
manly young  fellows,  I  preached  on  Sabbath  on 
'Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  work!  to  save  sinners.' 
They  were  all  attentive,  and  I  hope  the  good  seed 
may  take  root  in  some.  The  captain's  little  son 
Bob  is  a  nice  boy,  very  bright  and  intelligent.  I 
am  to  teach  him  a  little  every  day.  AVe  started 
from  Scotland  with  two  pigs,  two  birds  and  two 
dogs,  but  they  are  all  dead  except  one  dog;  the 
other  dog  fell  overboard,  and  the  hard  weather  killed 
the  rest.  The  severe  gales  have  emptied  some  of 
our  water-casks  which  were  lying  on  deck,  and  it  is 
likely  we  will  put  into  Madeira  to  get  a  new  sup- 
ply ;  and  of  this  I  shall  be  heartily  glad,  for  I  shall 
have  an  opportunity  of  mailing  you  a  letter,  as  I 
do  not  like  the  idea  of  your  being  in  suspense  till 
June.  The  floor  of  the  cabin  and  state-rooms  is 
quite  wet  again,  and  the  deck  is  all  the  time  covered 
with  water — that  is,  the  deck  on  a  level  with  our 
cabin  floor.     We  have   another   small   deck   over 


60  GEORGE  PAULL. 

our  heads.  Wc  arc  Maitiug  anxiously  for  bright 
weather,  to  get  dried  out  again,  and  I  suppose  at 
the  rate  we  are  sailing  now,  directly  south,  we  shall 
soon  be  in  a  warmer  climate. 

"  Thursday,  Feb.  25. — To-day  at  noon  we  are 
about  40°  N.  lat.  and  18°  W.  long.,  about  oppo- 
site the  Azore  Islands.  AVe  are  driving  almost 
directly  south,  with  a  strong  wind,  from  seven  to 
nine  miles  an  hour.  The  captain  says  '  if  the  wind 
keeps  up  we  may  reach  Madeira  by  Saturday 
morning.'  It  would  be  a  treat  to  get  our  feet  on 
shore  for  an  hour.  There  has  been  a  ship  in 
sight  all  day,  sailing  just  ahead  of  us.  In  the 
morning  Ave  could  see  her  topsails,  and  this  after- 
noon we  have  gained  so  much  on  her  that  we  see 
nearly  the  whole  ship.  The  sun  is  shining  a  little 
to-day,  and  the  men  have  their  clothes  out  on  the 
ropes  drying.  The  wind  drove  us  along  furiously 
last  night,  and  before  the  moon  rose  it  was  quite 
dark.  Little  Bob  was  out  on  the  deck  and  saw  the 
phosphorus  shining  in  the  water,  and  ran  in  'to 
get  the  lantern  to  see  the  fish,'  for  he  said  he  saw 
their  eyes  shining  in  the  water. 

"I  have  been  reading  an  account  of  the  labors 
of  John  Willianisj  missionary  to  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  and  lind  it  very  interesting.     I  have  Mof- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  61 

fat's  travels  in  South  Africa  in  the  same  volume. 
A  great  portion  of  my  reading  is  in  the  Bible,  so 
that  I  may  be  the  better  furnished  for  the  work 
whereunto  I  am  called.  I  count  it  the  highest 
possible  earthly  honor  to  be  permitted  to  go  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen.  My  only  trou- 
ble is  that  I  feel  myself  to  be  so  unworthy  and  so 
sinful  that  I  am  ashamed  to  lift  up  my  face  and  call 
God  my  father.  I  feel  sure  that  it  is  the  Lord 
that  has  thus  marked  out  my  path  in  bringing  me 
to  the  heathen,  and  I  trust  that  one  of  the  import- 
ant results  in  thus  separating  me  from  all  the  dear 
ones  that  I  love  in  my  own  land  will  be  that  I 
shall  be  brought  very  near  to  God,  and  will  be  en- 
abled to  walk  very  closely  with  my  Saviour.  For 
this  I  daily  pray  and  strive.  I  feel  that  when  all 
earthly  friends  are  far  away,  and  earthly  comforts 
are  few,  there  is  no  lasting  joy  to  be  found,  except 
I  find  it  at  the  Saviour's  side.  Pray  for  me,  that 
this  may  be  my  only  resort  for  comfort  or  enjoyment 
so  long  as  I  am  a  pilgrim  here. 

"Saturday,  Feb.  27. — To-day  has  been  bright 
and  sunny,  and  the  sunset  very,  very  fine.  The 
sky  has  had  something  of  that  pale  bluish  tint  pe- 
culiar to  Southern  skies.  Still  the  air  is  uncom- 
fortably fresh,  and  we  are  anxiously  wishing  our- 


G2  GEORGE  PAULL. 

selves  some  degrees  farther  south.  At  noon  to-day 
we  were  about  ninety  niiles  north  of  Madeira,  and 
expect  to  see  it  to-morrow  morning.  The  captain 
has  concluded  not  to  land  there,  because  the  water 
is  so  deep  for  anchoring  in.  He  may  stoj>  at  Tene- 
riffe,  or  perhaps  not  till  we  reach  Africa.  We  have 
seen  vessels  sailing  in  sight  to-day,  apparently  com- 
ing from  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  —  a  bark  and 
brig  and  schooner.  The  sea  is  quite  calm  again. 
This  evening  I  saw  several  large  porpoises  darting 
through  the  water. 

"  To-day  I  have  been  reading  Moffat's  mission- 
ary life  in  Africa.  Truly,  it  is  noble  to  endure 
such  jjrivations  for  the  sake  of  rescuing  the  heathen 
from  death,  and  making  known  to  them  a  Saviour's 
love.  There  surely  seems  to  me  to  be  no  possible 
doubt  as  to  what  was  my  duty  in  reference  to  the 
lieathen.  Ah !  would  I  stay  at  home  trying  to 
urge  a  few  ivho  knoio  their  duty  to  enter  into  life, 
when  millions  are  dying  for  lack  of  the  knowledge 
of  Christ,  and  earnestly  beseeching  us  to  send  them 
the  word  of  life  ?  But  I  dare  not  say  that  the  sac- 
rifice of  home  and  friends  has  cost  me  no  pangs. 
Keenly,  keenly  have  I  felt  it,  and  yet  my  heart 
ought  to  swell  with  praise  that  I  am  called  to  so 
high  an  honor,  for  will  not  He  that  has  called  me 


QEORGE  PAULL.  63 

make  himself  far  nearer  and  dearer  than  ever  home 
or  friends  could  be?  So  that  I  be  faithful  to  Christ 
in  all  things,  and  walk  closely  with  him,  I  shall 
have  no  lack  of  peace  and  joy. 

"  3Iarch  2. — To-day  we  saw  Teneriffe  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  is  about  settled  that  we  are  to  land  there, 
if  we  can  get  Avind  enough  and  in  the  right  direc- 
tion to  blow  us  into  port  (Santa  Cruz) ;  if  we  do,  I 
shall  have  the  pleasure  of  mailing  you  a  letter.  Our 
reason  for  landing  is  on  account  of  water.  All  that 
we  had  in  the  casks  is  gone,  and  when  the  tank  was 
opened  they  found  that  in  some  way  salt  water  had 
got  in,  and  it  is  too  brackish  to  drink.  We  have 
been  making  very  little  progress  for  days,  as  the 
wind  has  fallen  off.  The  sea  is  almost  as  smooth 
as  glass,  and  we  are  creeping  along  at  the  rate  of 
two  miles  an  hour.  The  weather  is  now  most 
delightful,  as  we  have  got  beyond  the  region  of 
storms.  I  think  of  you  at  home,  shivering  over 
your  fires,  while  the  wind  and  hail  make  doleful 
music  without.  But  here  the  sun  is  almost  too 
hot  to  sit  with  comfort  on  deck,  unless  vou  set  in 
the  shade  of  a  sail.  The  captain,  or  '  skipper  '  or 
'sea-dog,'  as  he  calls  himself — for  he  is  quite  a 
jolly  old  fellow — employs  his  spare  hours  on  deck 
sewing  sails  or  making  pants  for  himself,  or  raak- 


64  GEORGE  PAULL. 

ing  table-cloths,  as  he  came  away  without  a  supply. 
He  treats  me  with  every  kindness,  and  readily  ac- 
quiesces in  any  proposition  for  religious  services; 
and  now  we  have  preaching  on  Sabbath,  a  blessing 
at  every  meal,  and  prayers  every  evening.  It 
does  my  heart  good  when  the  old  weather-beaten 
captain  and  the  young  men  and  myself  bow  to- 
gether around  the  altar  of  prayer.  I  preached  on 
last  Sabbath  on  *  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  anathema  maranatha.'  I 
hope  and  pray  that  God  will  bless  the  truth  to 
many  of  them. 

"  On  Sabbath  morning  we  passed  the  Island  of 
Madeira,  lying  among  the  clouds  away  on  the  dis- 
tant horizon.  Yesterday  we  seemed  to  have  fallen 
in  with  quite  a  fleet  of  ships,  as  five  or  six  were 
visible  on  different  sides  of  us.  To-day  there  are 
no  ships  in  sight.  Yesterday  I  was  unwell,  and 
John  brought  me  a  cup  of  tea  with  milk  in  it.  I 
suppose  he  brought  his  '  old  coo '  to  life  for  my 
especial  benefit.  On  Sabbath  last,  by  some  process, 
he  contrived  to  make  us  milk  for  our  tea  and  coffee. 
But  on  Monday,  when  we  asked  him  for  more,  he 
said,  'De  coo  is  deal  till  next  Sunday  again.'  So  I 
suppose  he  is  only  going  to  give  us  this  precious 
beverage  on  Sunday,  unless  we  are  sick. 


GKOnaE   PAVLL.  65 

"Saturdaij,  INIarch  5. — To-nlo^l•o^v  morning  we 
hope  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Santa  Cruz,  the 
principal  town  on  Teneriffe,  one  of  tlie  Canary 
Islands.  For  several  days  we  have  been  hovering 
around  in  sight  of  the  island,  but  were  kept  off, 
partly  by  unfavorable  winds,  partly  by  calms,  and 
for  one  day  and  night  we  had  quite  a  severe  squall, 
which  drove  us  away  a  considerable  distance.  This 
morning  when  we  went  on  deck  the  first  thing  that 
met  our  gaze  was  the  lofty  peak  of  Teneriffe  (about 
13,000  feet  high),  covered  with  snow,  and  looking 
most  beautiful  in  the  morning  sun.  The  whole 
island  seems  high,  and  the  outline  is  rough  and 
rugged.  It  has  a  ])opulation  of  200,000  or  more, 
and  is  about  forty-five  or  forty-six  miles  long  and 
about  half  as  wide. 

"  I  am  heartily  glad  at  the  prospect  of  getting  a 
letter  to  you  so  much  sooner  than  I  expected,  and 
glad  -would  I  be  if  some  stray  letter  from  home 
could  be  put  into  my  hands  also.  But  I  have  faith 
to  believe  that  you  will  all  be  kept  in  peace  and 
safety.  And  I  trust  that  I  may  have  your  fervent 
prayers  to  strengthen  and  uphold  me  for  many 
years  to  come.  It  is  a  lasting  comfort  to  know 
that,  although  far  away  from  home  and  friends 
and  all  I  love,  yet  we  meet  around  the  same  throne 


60  GEonai-:  paull. 

of"  uracc ;  and  in  your  supplications  my  nanio,  I 
know,  is  not  forgotten.  I*  am  anxious  to  loarn 
al)()nt  Aaron's  fate,  and  yet  my  fears  are  the  worst. 
Often  since  I  left  home  have  I  seemed  to  meet  him 
and  hold  converse  with  him  in  my  dreams,  just  as 
we  used  to  do  when  we  were  together.  Whatever 
you  may  liave  heard  in  regard  to  him  or  Uncle 
James,  let  me  know  when  you  write.  How  my 
heart  will  leap  when  the  tidings  reaches  me  in  Af- 
rica tliat  this  bloody  strife  is  ended,  and  peace 
again  smiles  on  our  land  !  I  earnestly  pray  that 
we  may  no  more  be  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
any  of  our  friends  swept  away  by  the  tide  of  battle. 
Jim  and  Jode  are,  1  trust,  now  hard  at  their  studies. 
I  am  proud  of  them,  and  look  forward  with  high 
hopes  to  the  time  when  they  will  become  noble 
Christian  men — ministers,  I  trust,  missionaries,  it 
may  be. 

"  I  sincerely  hope  that  pa's  health  will  recover, 
and  that  he  will  yet  be  spared  to  us  for  many  years. 
I  almost  feel  as  though  I  would  faint  in  the  labors 
which  I  am  undertaking  without  his  prayers  to 
uphold  me. 

"  We  have  a  long  journey  yet  before  us  after 
we  leave  Teneriffe,  but  I  have  firm  faith  to  believe 
tiiat  God  will  spare  me  to  preach  the  gospel  among 


GKOnCIE  J'AULL.  67 

the  lieathon.  You  will  not  have  an  oi)portnnity  to 
hear  from  me  again  till  we  arrive  at  Fernando  Po. 
Much  love;  and  may  you  all  he  greatly  blessed 
with  all  spii-itual  blessings  in  Christ  Jesus,  is  the 
prayer  of  your  affectionate  son. 

"P.  S.—3Iarch  7.— We  landed  on  Sabbath 
morning.  I  came  on  shore  in  hope  of  finding 
church-service  to  attend.  I  called  on  the  Ameri- 
can consul,  Mr.  Dabney,  and  found  there  was  no 
service.  Found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dabney  delightful 
people.  They  invited  me  back  for  tea  and  for  din- 
ner to-day.  They  introduced  me  to  Judge  Dyer 
and  his  wife,  from  Cincago,  Illinois.  It  has  been  a 
great  treat  to  meet  all  these  Americans,  and  they 
have  treated  me  like  an  old  friend.  Mr.  Dabney  is 
of  American  parents,  but  has  always  lived  among 
the  Portuguese.  Mrs.  Dabney  is  from  Massachu- 
setts. The  American  man-of-war  St.  Louis  sailed 
into  port  yesterday  morning.  I  have  met  all  the 
officers,  some  of  them  at  dinner  to-day.  I  went  on 
board  this  morning,  by  invitation  of  Captain  Preble, 
to  see  Lieutenant  Stewart  of  Uniontown,  Pa.  I 
found  him  a  very  pleasant  fellow — spent  two  or 
three  hours  with  him.  The  meeting  with  him 
here  was  quite  unexpected,  as  I  supposed  he 
was  cruising  farther   south.     Everything    here    is 


fi8  aKOlKlK  J'Al'fJ.. 

Spanish,  and  very  strange  to  me.     The  climate  is 
like  July." 

To  his  sister : 

"Oi  r  Teneriffe,  Weclncsday,  March  9,  1804. 

"This  morning  the  sharp  and  rugged  hills 
of  Teneriffe  are  fading  away  in  the  distance,  and 
we  are  again  out  on  the  ocean  for  a  voyage  of  a 
month  or  more.  We  .set  sail  last  night  about 
12  o'clock,  having  stayed  in  port  one  day  longer 
than  I  expected.  I  have  had  a  delightful  visit 
on  the  island,  particularly  refreshing  after  my  long 
imprisonment  on  the  ocean  ;  and  the  sight  of  Amer- 
ican faces,  with  the  warmth  and  kindness  of  Amer- 
ican hearts,  has  made  it  a  visit  that  I  shall  not  soon 
forget. 

"  We  sailed  slowly  into  the  ba}^  in  front  of 
Santa  Cruz,  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  anchored 
about  half  a  mile  from  .shore.  The  appearance  of 
the  island  from  that  distance  was  very  barren  and 
desolate,  there  being  scarcely  any  trees  on  it,  and  the 
whole  having  a  rugged  appearance — jagged  peaks 
with  little  valleys  between  covering  the  whole  sur- 
face, and  the.se  looking  as  if  they  had  been  burnt 
with  fire.  As  there  was  no  prospect  of  having  .ser- 
vice on  board,  I  went  ashore  with  the  captain  in 


GEORGE  FAULL.  69 

hopes  of  finding  service.  When  we  hincled  on  the 
pier  we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  mulatto- 
colored  Spaniards,  many  of  whom  came  about  us 
jabbering  their  half  Spanish,  half  English,  wanting 
to  be  our  guides,  and  some  would  follow  us  wher- 
ever we  went.  One  said  to  me,  '  You  American  ?' 
'  Yes,'  I  said,  and  asked  how  he  knew.  He  pointed 
to  my  square-toed  boots  as  the  indicator — for  no 
body  wears  square-toed  boots  but  Americans. 

"  I  went  to  the  house  of  the  American  consul, 
over  which  the  stars  and  stripes  float,  as  he  was  the 
only  person  I  knew  of  that  it  was  probable  could 
talk  English,  or  give  me  information  where  I  could 
find  a  church,  etc.  My  Spanish  guide — for  one  still 
stuck  to  me — led  the  way  through  the  outer  door 
and  opened  the  second,  which  led  me  to  the  court 
within.  The  houses  here,  all  built  in  the  Eastern 
style,  nearly  all  look  alike,  both  of  the  rich  and  of 
the  poor — generally  two  stories  high,  built  of  stone, 
and  plastered  outside  with  white  lime.  They  are 
square,  and  the  roofs  all  flat,  so  that  the  families 
can  sit  on  them  in  the  evenings.  The  court  is  an 
open  square  inside,  thirty  or  forty  feet  long  and  as 
many  broad.  After  going  into  the  court,  and  up 
stairs  into  a  gallery  or  porch  which  runs  all  around 
the  house,  and  from  which  they  pass  into  the  rooms, 


70  GEORGE  PAULL. 

I  met  Mr.  Dahney  and  introdiiood  myself.  He 
took  me  into  tlie  ])arl()r,  and  I  told  liini  what  I 
came  ibr,  who  I  was  and  whi're  I  was  going,  etc. 
After  talking  a  few  minutes,  he  said  he  had  left 
Mrs.  Dabncy  at  dinner,  and  she  would  like  to  see 
me.  After  speaking  to  her,  he  returned  and 
invited  me  to  dinner,  where  I  met  a  cordial  wel- 
come from  her  and  a  Mrs.  Cogswell,  their  family 
governess.  As  I  had  been  to  dinner,  I  only  took  a 
banana  by  way  of  dessert.  I  was  greatly  pleased 
with  Mrs.  Dabney ;  she  is  a  lovely  Christian  wo- 
man, kind-hearted  and  pleasant.  They  have  three 
children,  but  the  two  daughters,  aged  thirteen  and 
fifteen,  were  away  on  a  visit  to  some  other  part  of 
the  island. 

"After  talking  a  while  I  left  with  a  promise  to 
come  back  next  day  for  dinner.  Mr.  Dabney  went 
with  me  to  the  hotel,  and  introduced  me  to  Judge 
Dyer  and  his  wife,  of  Chicago,  now  on  his  way  from 
Sierra  Leone,  West  Africa,  where  he  had  been  acting 
as  judge  in  the  mixed  court — a  court  established 
by  the  English  and  Americans  for  the  protection  of 
the  coast  against  slavers.  I  found  Judge  Dyer  and 
liis  wife  very  pleasant  people.  The  man-of-war 
St.  Louis  sailed  into  harbor  after  the  Florida, 
which  had  sailed  out  a  few  days  before.     I  learned 


GEORGE  PAULL.  71 

from  C*aptain  Preble  and  his  son  and  the  surgeon 
tliat  Andrew  Stewart's  son,  of  Uniontown.  Pa.,  was 
on  board  this  vessel,  second  in  command,  and  I  had 
an  invitation  from  the  captain  to  come  aboard  the 
next  day.  All  this  was  to  me  a  very  unsatisfactory 
way  of  spending  the  Sabbath,  as  I  got  no  quiet  or 
retirement.  In  the  afternoon  I  walked  out  of  town 
a  short  distance  for  the  sake  of  being  alone. 

"  Santa  Cruz  is  a  peculiar  looking  place, 
altogether  Spanish  ;  population,  five  or  six  thou- 
sand ;  very  closely  built ;  streets  not  wider  perhaps 
than  twelve  feet.  But  they  have  very  few  wagons 
or  carts  or  carriages ;  nearly  all  their  transportation 
is  done  by  packing  on  ponies,  donkeys  and  drome- 
daries. The  streets  are  thick  with  donkeys  with 
panniers  thrown  across  their  backs  and  a  Spaniard 
sitting  on  top.  For  packing  stone  they  have  a 
wooden  frame  thrown  across  the  back  of  a  drome- 
dary ;  and  on  the  back  of  one  I  have  seen  four  big 
stones  two  or  three  feet  long  by  one  foot  wide  and 
thick. 

"  Teneriffe  was  once  famous  for  grapes  and  wine, 
but  a  disease  of  some  kind  has  almost  rooted  out 
grape  culture.  Now  they  cultivate  the  cochineal 
very  extensively,  and  vast  quantities  of  potatoes, 
figs,  oranges  and  bananas.     The  climate  is  most  de- 


72  GEORGE  PAULL. 

lightful ;  a  constant  sea  breeze  keeps  it  moderately 
temperate.  The  people  are  lazy  and  dirty,  and  the 
town  full  of  beggars.  The  upper  classes,  however, 
are  quite  fine-looking :  nearly  all  have  black  hair 
and  eyes  and  rather  dark  complexion. 

*'  I  went  aboard  the  St.  Louis  on  Monday  about 
10  o'clock,  in  one  of  her  boats  pulled  by  eight  or 
ten  mariners,  and  spent  two  or  three  hours  with 
Lieutenant  Stewart.*  I  found  him  a  very  substan- 
tial fellow.  I  met  several  other  officers,  all  of 
whom  I  liked  very  much.  We  dined  at  Mr.  Dab- 
ncy's,  had  a  fine  dinner  and  a  very  pleasant  time. 
Lieutenant  Squires  and  Dr.  Lewis  of  the  St.  Louis 
were  there.  On  boarding  the  Elgiva  I  found  that 
the  captain  had  concluded  not  to  sail  foranother  day. 
After  spending  the  night  on  the  vessel  I  went  ashore 
next  morning,  and  met  Lieutenant  Stewart  and  sev- 
eral of  the  other  officers,  and  spent  most  of  the  day 
with  them,  after  calling  on  Mrs.  Dabney  to  bid  her 
good-bye,  and  promising  to  write  to  her  husband 
from  Corisco.  I  think  I  never  met  a  more  pleasant 
and  gentlemanly  set  of  fellows  than  the  officers  of 
the  St.  Louis.  In  the  evening  we  were  rowe<l 
over  together  to  the  St.  Louis,  where  we  parted  with 

*  This  gallant  officer  went  down  on  tlie  Oneida,  near  J;ipan, 
in  1871,  bravely  standing  Mt  liis  pest  of  duty. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  73 

a  hearty  grasp  of  the  hand,  declaring  that  we  were 
glad  to  have  met  each  other.  I  took  dinner  with 
Lieutenants  Squires  and  Marsh  at  the  hotel,  one 
consisting  of  eight  courses,  conducted  with  great 
quietness  and  order.  I  enjoyed  my  dinner  very 
much,  after  being  so  long  accustomed  to  sea  fare, 
though  I  did  not  partake  of  all  the  courses,  nor 
very  heavily  of  any.  Thus  ended  my  pleasant 
visit  to  Teneriife.  It  cheered  me,  and  helped  me  to 
go  forward  with  good  courage.  So  now  I  am  on 
the  ocean  not  expecting  to  see  land  again  till  we 
arrive  at  Fernando  Po. 

^^  Saturday,  March  12. — We  are  in  the  trade 
winds  now,  and  the  breeze  is  strong  and  fine. 
The  air  is  quite  cool  since  we  left  Teneriffe.  We 
have  very  little  variety  on  board  the  vessel — -just  the 
same  thing  one  day  and  again  the  same  the  next. 
Sometimes  M-e  meet  a  vessel,  and  yesterday  we 
spoke  one  by  signal  flags  —  her  name  Verbena, 
from  Liver[)ool  to  Hong  Kong,  nineteen  days  out. 
We  telegraphed  our  name,  where  from  and  whither 
bound.  By  signal  flags  she  said  our  name,  Elgiva, 
was  not  in  her  book  (vessel  a  new  one),  and  asked 
us  to  spell  the  name,  which  was  done. 

"  I  spend  most  of  my  time  reading,  sometimes 
studying  at  the  Benga  Grammar  which  Dr.  Lowrie 


74  GEORGE  PAULL. 

gave  nic,  and  tcachino;  the  captain's  son  one  hour  a 
day.  I  have  read  the  missionary  labors  of  John 
Williams  in  the  South  Sea  Islands,  also  of  Moffat 
in  South  Africa,  and  the  life  of  Henry  Martyn, 
and  other  volumes,  all  with  great  interest,  and  I 
trust  with  great  profit.  I  have  had  many  days  of 
darkness  and  inward  trial  since  I  came  aboard,  but 
now  the  light  seems  to  be  breaking  in,  and  I  am 
able  to  rest  with  calm  peace  and  confidence  in  God 
more  than  ever  before.  I  have  made  the  Bible  my 
study,  for  it  is  the  only  fountain  at  which  I  can 
drink  the  living  stream.  I  kcej)  the  large  one 
that  cousin  Susan  Lamb  gave  me  always  near,  and 
it  is  a  choice  treasure. 

"  M}-  thoughts  have  been  much  disposed  to  cen- 
tre about  home  for  a  time,  but  not  with  any  feeling 
of  melancholy,  for  I  have  never  had  a  moment's 
thought  that  it  was  my  duty  to  do  otherwise 
than  as  J  have  done,  and  all  my  desire,  I  trust, 
is  to  do  as  God  would  have  me  do,  and  to  grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  assurance  of  peace  with  God, 
and  to  reach  the  full  and  perfect  stature  of  a  man 
in  Christ. 

"The  captain  found  one  of  the  sailors  drunk  the 
other  day,  and  immediately  put  him  in  irons,  hand- 
cuffs   and  he  behaved  so  outrageously  and  talked 


GEORGE  PAULL.  75 

so  terribly  that  he  had  to  gag  him.  He  found  out 
that  this  fellow,  with  some  others,  had  broken  into 
the  cargo  and  drank  a  barrel  of  ale  in  bottles.  It 
M'as  a  miserable  sight  to  see  this  man  acting  like  a 
brute,  cursing  and  swearing  most  blasphemously. 
I  stayed  in  the  cabin  all  the  while,  for  I  could 
neither  bear  the  sight  nor  the  sound. 

"Jiarc/i  IG.  —  Our  latitude,  15°  north,  and 
the  sun  pours  down  with  no  little  power,  though 
a  constant  breeze  keeps  the  weather  from  being 
oppressive.  The  thermometer  stands  at  80°  in 
the  shade.  We  are  now  south  of  the  Cape  Verde 
Islands — ran  between  them  and  the  coast  of  Af- 
rica. AVe  could  tell  our  nearness  to  land  yester- 
day by  the  color  of  the  water.  When  we  are 
within  soundings,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  land, 
it  is  of  a  light  bluish  cast,  but  when  out  in  deep 
water  its  color  is  very  dark.  We  spoke  another 
ship  to-day  on  her  way  from  Wales  to  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands.  The  young  men,  or  the  'lazy 
spoons,'  as  the  captain  calls  them,  help  handle  the 
signal  flag.  They  are  very  pleasant,  and  ready  to 
help  at  anything,  but  the  captain  is  fond  of  joking 
them.  They  don't  like  the  hard  biscuit,  and  John 
has  been  making  loaf  bread ;  but  the  captain  tells 
them  that  he  won't  humor  the  lazy  'quill-drivers' 


76  uEonap:  vaull. 

any  more;  but  they  tlo  pretty  much  as  they  please 
Avith  the  old  tar. 

"  I  preached  on  Sabbath  on  '  the  dancjcr  of  pro- 
crastinatlonJ  About  the  time  service  commenced, 
the  mate  came  in  and  said  the  sailors  would  not 
come  in.  I  was  much  surprised  and  disappointed, 
as  it  is  in  my  heart  to  do  them  as  much  good  as 
possible  while  I  am  with  them,  but  I  preached  to 
the  captain,  the  young  men  and  mate.  Next  day 
I  found  the  reason  why  the  sailors  had  not  come 
was  because  the  mate  (whom  they  do  not  like)  had, 
in  a  surly  manner,  ordered  them  in,  and  then  for 
spite  they  would  not  come.  The  vessel  I  spoke  of 
is  sailing  alongside  of  us,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  off.  She  is  a  fine  large  vessel,  clean  and 
nice.  The  two  captains  have  been  having  a  fine 
chat,  but  the  distance  and  noise  of  the  waves  pre- 
vents them  from  hearing  each  other  easily.  I 
often  look  at  these  young  men  going  with  us  to 
risk  their  health  and  lives  in  Africa  for  the  sake 
of  money,  and  think  that  if  I  had  no  nobler  or 
more  sacred  motives  to  take  me  there,  I  should  be 
at  home  among  my  friends.  But  then  I  think, 
again,  if  men  are  so  willing  to  live  in  Africa  for 
the  sake  of  gold,  a  Christian  ought  to  blush  with 
shame  that  would  not  be  willing  to  live  there  for 


GEORGE  PAULL.  77 

the  salve  of  souls.  What  a  joy  it  would  be  if  we 
could  always  live  with  eternity  in  view — so  near  in 
view  as  to  make  us  forget  the  little  interests  of 
self  and  time !  I  am  persuaded  that  one  of  the 
greatest  regrets,  when  we  come  to  die,  will  be  that 
we  were  not  wholly  and  unreservedly  absorbed, 
soul  and  body,  in  earnest  efforts  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

''Friday,  March  18,  1864.— This  morning  we 
are  sailing  fast  toward  the  equator — within  8°  of 
it.  The  sun  is  almost  directly  over  us,  and  pours  » 
with  warmth  upon  us,  but  the  constant  breeze  keeps 
ns  comfortable.  I  have  not  yet  felt  it  necessary  to 
take  off  my  winter  clothing.  We  have  a  large  awn- 
ing on  deck,  and  under  this  it  is  delightful,  cool 
and  comfortable.  We  are  now  in  the  region  of 
flying  fish.  We  yesterday  saw  hundreds,  or,  I 
might  say,  thousands,  rising  up  and  flying  before 
us  like  birds,  as  the  ship  sailed  along,  and  skim- 
ming away  across  the  waves  like  swallows  for  one  or 
tAvo  hundred  yards.  They  have  every  appearance 
of  a  flock  of  snow-birds  or  swallows  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. Some  two  or  three  flew  into  the  ship  and 
fell  down  on  deck  :  these  Bob  appropriated  for  his 
breakfast  next  morning.  They  are  a  beautiful  fish, 
from  six  to  ten   inches  long,  slender  and  delicate, 


78  GEonai:  pavll. 

very  nincli  like  a  nionntain  trout,  except  tlie  spots. 
They  liavc  two  finny  wings  shaped  like  a  snow 
bird's,  whieli  ojien  and  fold  uj)  right  at  the  gills. 
They  serve  the  double  purpose  of  fins  and  wings. 
They  have  also  two  smaller  fins  farther  back 
toward  the  tail.  As  the  presence  of  flying  fish 
indicates  the  presence  of  larger  fish,  the  young 
men  put  out  a  line  to  drag  behind  the  vessel  yes- 
terday. They  caught  nothing,  but  some  creature 
which  we  did  not  see  tore  away  the  hook  and 
bait.  We  have  seen  some  pretty  large  turtles  float- 
ing on  the  to])  of  the  water.  Yesterday  Bob  came 
running  in  to  call  our  attention  to  some  young 
whales  which  he  saw  in  the  distance.  I  suppose 
they  were  porpoises  of  a  large  size.  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  back  of  one,  which  appeared  to  be 
as  large  as  a  big  bullock. 

'^Monday,  March  21. — This  is  hot  weather,  but 
the  breeze  keeps  one  tolerably  comfortable  beneath 
the  awning  on  deck.  The  trade  winds  have  failed 
us  now,  and  we  move  slowly,  three  or  four  miles 
an  hour,  and  often  less.  We  have  reached  the 
latitude  of  Liberia,  5°,  and  long.  lG°,and  wo 
hope,  God  willing,  to  reach  Fernando  l*o  in 
about  fifteen  days.  The  sea  is  almost  as  suiooth 
as  glass,  but  neither  bird,  beast  nor  laud   is  to  be 


(lEOnaE  PAULL.  79 

seen.  The  Scotch  laddies  spend  their  time  in  read- 
ing, joking  with  the  captain  and  each  other.  We 
are  all  anxious  to  be  at  onr  journey's  end.  I 
preached  to  the  men  last  Sal)bath  on  the  parable 
of  the  prodigal  son.  They  were  very  attentive. 
After  service  I  distributed  some  little  books  among 
them,  as  I  had  done  before.  They  seemed  glad  to 
get  them.  To-day  I  finished  Dr.  Lowrie's  '  Two 
Years  in  India/  and  on  Saturday  '  Fox's  Book  of 
Martyrs.'  What  a  record  of  suffering  for  Christ's 
sake  the  last  is  !  Those  confessors  swell  the  mul- 
titude that  walk  in  white  before  the  throne,  having 
been  'slain  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus.'  The  noble 
army  of  martyrs  praise  thee,  O  God  ! 

"  March  25. — For  several  days  past  our  sails 
have  been  flapping  almost  idly  round  the  masts  for 
want  of  air  enough  to  fill  them.  The  sun  pours 
down  so  directly  over  our  heads  that  at  noon  it 
makes  no  shadow,  and  the  thermometer  stands  at 
90°.  The  sky  is  most  beautiful,  with  its  varied 
cloud-tints  on  a  ground  of  most  delicate  blue.  As 
night  comes  on  the  sky  clouds  up,  and  we  have 
lightning  and  thunder  and  rain,  sometimes  in 
torrents.  The  voung  men  have  been  busy  trying 
to  catch  some  fish,  but  have  only  got  one,  which 
the  sailors  call   a  bonila.     I  have  never  seen  one 


80  GEORGE  PAULL. 

more  beautiful ;  its  slia])c  is  exquisite  and  its  color 
a  bluish  purj)le.  One  of  the  sailors,  Bob  they  call 
him — and  a  clever  fellow  he  is — fell  down  with 
violent  pain  in  his  stomach.  He  has  not  been  well 
all  the  passage,  and  I  fear  this  will  bring  him  to 
his  end.  Poor  fellow  !  how  he  did  moan  in  agony, 
and  said,  'Ah,  men,  I  am  gone.'  They  took  him 
to  his  berth  and  gave  him  medicine,  and  applied  a 
mustard  plaster,  which  gave  him  some  relief.  I 
went  in  and  sat  down  by  him,  and  tried  to  explain 
the  way  of  salvation  to  him,  and  prayed  with  him. 
He  thanked  me  heartily  when  I  left,  as  did  some 
of  the  other  sailors  who  were  in  with  him  at  the 
time.  Poor  fellows !  I  wish  they  knew  the  way  to 
Christ.  I  have  tried  to  preach  only  Christ  to 
them,  as  nothing  else  will  be  of  any  consequence. 

"I  have  finished  the  Life  of  Brainard,  and  am 
reading  Flavel  on  '  Keeping  the  Heart,'  and  my 
Bible  and  Greek  Testament.  For  nearly  a  week 
we  have  been  lying  almost  still,  but  yesterday  we 
got  a  pretty  good  breeze  and  are  now  moving  along 
tolerably  well.  I  check  all  thoughts  of  impatience 
at  the  length  of  the  voyage  by  remembering  that 
to  bear  patiently  whatever  comes,  and  perform 
present  duty,  is  serving  the  Lord  just  as  much  as 
though  I  were  in  Corisco.     Part  of  every  evening 


GEORGE  FAULL.  81 

I  spend  reading  and  praying  with  the  sick  sailor. 
He  is  nearly  well  now,  and  I  sincerely  hope  his 
sickness  will  be  the  means  of  bringing  him  to  God. 
I  preached  on  Sabbath  on  the  '  healing  of  blind 
Bartimeiis.'  Some  were  very  attentive.  I  hope 
some  fruit  may  be  gathered  unto  life  eternal. 

"  You  are  all  daily  in  my  thoughts  and  prayers, 
as  I  know  I  am  also  in  yours ;  and  what  does  it 
signify  though  we  be  separated  for  a  little  while  in 
doing  the  Master's  will  ?  It  is  only  for  a  little  while, 
and  then  we  hope  for  an  eternal  reunion.  My 
liealth  so  far,  since  I  left  home,  is  as  good  as  it  ever 
was,  and  perhaps  better.  I  hope  the  climate  of 
Corisco  will  just  suit  me. 

"March  30. — I  took  my  old  hat  from  my 
trunk  to-day  to  wear  on  deck,  and  the  sight  of  it 
filled  me  almost  too  full  with  thoughts  of  home. 
I  trust  you  are  all  w^ell,  though  even  four  months 
might  make  vast  changes.  In  another  week  two 
years  will  be  gone  since  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
Many  a  time  have  I  thought  of  Aaron,  and  often 
dreamed  of  him,  since  I  left  home. 

"April  1. — I  stood  on  the  bow  of  the  vessel 
for  half  an  hour  to-day  watching  the  porpoises. 
They  are  about  the  vessel  by  the  hundred,  swim- 
ming along  with  us,  som?tImes  jumping  entirely 
e 


82  GEORGE  PAULL. 

out  of  the  water,  and  then  swimming  with  their 
back  fins  sticking  up,  giving  the  impression  of  a 
drove  of  mules  with  only  their  ears  above  water. 
Most  of  them  are  about  six  feet  long,  with  dark 
skin,  without  scales,  like  the  catfish.  The  young 
men  shot  at  some  of  them,  but  that  has  no  effect 
on  them,  even  when  the  ball  hits.  Tiie  captain 
says  it  is  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles  yet  to 
Fernando  Po. 

"April  4.— The  first  shark  that  we  have  seen 
followed  after  us  nearly  all  day  Saturday.  Tlie 
men  tried  to  catch  him  with  a  hook  baited  with  pork, 
but  he  was  too  careful.  Two  or  three  pilot  fish 
were  swimming  with  him,  most  beautiful  little  crea- 
tures, striped  all  over  with  purple  bars,  such  as  you 
see  on  the  zebra.  We  are  now  almost  immediately 
south  of  the  dominions  of  the  king  of  Dahomey, 
so  famous  for  his  inhuman  cruelties.  Had  service 
yesterday.  As  I  thouglit  it  might  be  our  last  on 
board,  I  spoke  very  plainly  to  the  men  on  the 
'  strait  gate.'  They  listened  very  attentively,  and 
I  hope  and  pray  that  some  of  them  may  enter  in." 

In  his  private  journal,  under  date  of  April  4, 
Mr.  Paull  writes : 

"April  4. — Spend  the  time  reading  religious 
books,  and   especially  the  Bible.      Preach   every 


GEORGE  PAULL.  83 

Sabbath  plainly  and  pointedly  to  the  men,  but 
nothing  save  Christ  and  him  crucified.  Have  done 
but  little  talking  since  I  came  on  board.  Others 
jest  and  laugh  around  me,  but  my  thoughts  have 
been  engaged  within.  For  many  weeks  I  have, 
been  '  eating  the  bread  of  sorrow/  because  I  have 
been  in  darkness  and  have  had  no  light.  All  my 
sweets  have  been  turned  into  bitterness,  and  I  have 
walked  on  the  borders  of  despair.  I  have  been 
truly  in  the  dark,  and  neither  sun  nor  moon  nor 
stars  have  appeared  for  many  days.  God  grant 
that  this  may  be  the  fire  that  shall  consume  the 
dross  of  sin  wholly  from  me." 

On  the  subject  of  missions  he  next  writes : 
"  Some  Avould  turn  aside  from  carrying  on  this 
glorious  work  by  saying  that  God  will  not  punish 
those  who  live  in  io;norance' without  the  liwht  of 
the  gospel.  But  what  then  must  become  of  God's 
character?  He  who  is  all  good  established  a  law 
which  is  upright  and  good.  '  The  soul  that  sinneth, 
it  shall  die.^  Mercy  may  seek  to  let  the  trans- 
gressor free,  but  justice,  immutable  justice,  cannot, 
must  not,  else  it  is  no  longer  justice.  Under  the 
government  of  a  just  and  holy  God,  death  must 
follow  transgression  so  surely  as  God  is  a  God  of 
truth,  whether  there  has  been  lic^ht  or  whether  there 


84  GEORGE  FAULL. 

lias  been  noHyld  ;  but  then,  acrurJing  to  scripture, 
circumstances  may  miti<^ate  the  severity  of  that 
punishment  for  which  death  is  a  general  term. 

"  It  is  cheering  to  know  that  in  some  places,  at 
least,  the  heathen  are  earnestly  pleading  for  the 
bread  of  life — looking  out  from  their  darkness  to 
catch  the  faintest  dawn  of  the  morning.  It  would 
do  your  hearts  good  to  hear  one  tell,  who  belonged 
to  a  station  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  how,  the 
moment  a  vessel  came  to  anchor,  they  all  ran  down 
to  the  beach  with  the  anxious  inquiry,  '  Have  you 
brought  us  a  missionary?'  If  none  had  come,  they 
turned  away  with  sorrowful  hearts.  But  if  some 
one  stepped  forth  and  said  that  he  had  come  to  tell 
them  '  the  story  of  the  cross,'  how  they  bore  him 
away  in  triumph  with  a  joy  which  knew  no 
bounds. 

"  We  ought  to  make  the  world  conform  to  our 
religion,  instead  of  our  religion  to  the  world ;  for 
Christ  and  his  religion  are  paramount  to  every- 
thing, and  ought  to  be  esteemed  by  us  above  and 
before  everything.  The  world  and  all  its  concerns, 
pursued  for  their  own  sakes,  are  the  vilest  dross  in 
comparison  with  them.  Our  religion  should  be  the 
life,  the  very  heart-blood,  of  every  action  and  pur- 
suit.    If  we  ploughed  and  reaped,  bought  and  sold, 


GEORGE  PAULL.  85 

for  Christ's  sake,  if  the  busy  crowd  that  pass  the 
streets  were  eager  most  of  all  to  win  riches  and 
honor  for  Christ,  what  a  heaven  there  wonld  be  on 
earth  ! 

"  Thursday,  April  7. — We  have  no  variety  in 
our  scenery  here,  except  the  change  from  sunshine 
to  cloud,  and  from  the  smooth  sea  to  one  a  little 
ruffled  by  the  breeze.  I  am  glad  that  the  truest 
happiness  on  earth  does  not  depend  on  outward 
circumstances,  but  upon  the  heart.  Fix  it  on  God, 
and  then  we  dwell  in  peace  among  gathering 
storms  or  burning  suns,  or  in  the  loneliness  of  the 
desert. 

"John,  who  is  a  great  friend  of  mine,  has  been 
getting  a  large  canvas  bag  made  for  me  to  put  my 
mattress  and  blankets,  etc.,  into,  and  every  few  days 
he  puts  a  quantity  of  figs  into  my  bei'th  for  me  to 
eat ;  and  I  also  discover  in  my  berth  a  bottle  of 
preserved  cherries,  one  of  apples,  one  of  plums,  and 
one  of  desiccated  milk. 

"  Ifondai/,  April  11. — Nine  weeks  to-day  we 
sailed  from  the  mouth  of  the  Clyde,  and  now  we 
are  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Fernando  Po. 
This  has  been  a  long  time  to  be  on  the  water,  and 
yet  not  longer  than  vessels  usually  are  in  making 
the  trip.     Last  night  one  of  the  young  men  caught 


86  GEOIWK  PAULL. 

a  bird  about  the  size  of  a  robin.  It  lit  on  one  of 
tlie  yards  and  went  to  sleep.  A  young  shark  was 
swimming  about  tlie  vessel  to-day,  but  as  soon  as 
they  threw  a  line  over  with  a  piece  of  j)ork  on  it 
lie  swam  away. 

"  I  preached  yesterday,  as  I  suppose,  my  last  ser- 
mon to  the  men,  on  the  lirst  Psabn.  I  think  I  have 
never  so  desired,  or  striven  so  thoroughly,  to  preach 
the  gospel  plainly,  pointedly  and  simply,  as  I  have 
to  the  men  here.  I  earnestly  hope  and  pray  that 
there  may  be  some  fruit.  They  have  always  been 
most  attentive  and  respectful  to  me,  though  I  fear 
they  care  but  little  for  the  gospel  and  for  their  own 
souls.  One  of  these,  however — Mr.  McCormick,  a 
noble  fellow — I  have  noticed  since  Sabbath  \veek 
reading  his  Bible  regularly  every  night.  Last 
night  he  seemed  anxious  to  talk,  and  I  got  oppor- 
tunity to  converse  with  him.  He  is  quite  serious  and 
concerned  about  himself,  and  I  earnestly  hope  it 
may  end  in  his  sound  conversion  to  God. 

"  I  tried  to  think  of  you  all  yesterday  as  getting 
ready  and  starting  to  church,  but  when  I  think  of 
you  at  any  time  I  have  to  run  backward  six  hours 
on  our  clock,  as  our  time  is  about  six  hours  faster 
than  yours,  so  that  when  it  is  noon  here  you  are 
just  about  rising. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  87 

*^  Wednesday,  April  13. — To-night,  after  a  long 
voyage,  we  have  cast  anclior  at  Fernando  Po. 
Early  this  morning  John  waked  me  up  to  say  that 
it  was  in  sight.  As  we  sailed  on  the  dim  outline 
became  more  distinct,  and  at  length  we  saw  tlie 
green  hills,  covered  Math  the  most  luxuriant  growth 
of  green  trees  and  bushes.  As  we  sailed  into  tlie 
bay,  a  most  delightful  odor  of  flowers  floated  oif 
to  greet  us.  Before  we  put  anchor  down  a  boat 
came  off  the  island  to  meet  us,  in  which  was  INIr. 
Murray,  whom  I  had  met  in  Scotland.  He  ar- 
rived here  before  us  by  the  mail  steamer.  His 
boat  was  pulled  by  four  Kroo  boys,  as  they  call 
them,  the  first  native  Africans  that  I  have  seen. 

"  Thursday,  14th. — This  morning  we  opened  our 
eyes  on  a  beautiful  sight.  We.  lay  at  anchor  in  a 
semi-circular  bay  of  great  beauty,  and  the  beach 
all  around  us  rising  to  the  height  of  perhaps  fifty 
feet  above  us.  On  this  high  beach  the  little  town 
of  St.  Isabel  is  built.  Behind  the  town  the  ground 
gradually  rises  till  it  terminates  in  a  peak  about 
10,000  feet  in  height.  The  island,  so  far  as  we  can 
yet  see,  seems  to  be  one  of  exquisite  beauty,  cov- 
ered with  tropical  plants,  fruits  and  flowers.  Cocoa- 
nuts  I  see  growing  in  the  greatest  abundance  on 
the  tops  of  the  tall,  straight  palm  trees;  oranges, 


88  GEORGE   PAVLL. 

pineapples  and  mangoes  also.  The  mango  is  some- 
thing like  an  apj)le,  said  to  be  very  fine,  but  not 
yet  rij)e.  Plantains  and  yams  are  here  also.  Al- 
thouirh  vc<rotation  is  so  rank  and  fruits  so  abun- 
dant,  the  animal  kingdom  is  but  sj)arsely  repre- 
sented. They  have  no  animals  except  those 
brought  from  of  her  parts  of  the  coast,  as  a  few 
sheep,  goats,  and  little  bullocks  about  the  size  of 
a  large  sheep.  There  are  perhaps  one  or  two 
horses  on  the  island,  but  the  climate  is  such  that 
no  animals  can  be  reared. 

"The  town  of  St.  Isabel,  the  only  one  on  the 
island,  has  about  twenty  houses;  these  are  occupied 
by  the  Spaniards,  as  they  are  the  owners  here. 
Their  buildings  are  frame,  jiainted  white,  and  cov- 
ered with  thatch,  one  story  high,  and  open  inside 
up  to  the  roof,  so  as  to  look  like  a  barn  within. 
Although  there  are  a  good  many  Spaniards  and 
some  Englishmen,  there  are  no  white  ladies  here, 
except  one,  a  niece  of  the  old  ex-Governor  Lyns- 
lager.  I  went  on  shore  to-day  with  the  captain, 
and  he  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Wilson,  the  agent 
of  Mr.  Laughland,  and  also  vice-consul.  A\^e 
went  around  and  took  breakfast  with  him  about 
10  o'clock ;  afterwards  he  took  me  to  call  on  the 
ex-Governor  and  the  Spanish  jndge.     I  am  to  .^tay 


GEO  RUE  PAULL  89 

Avi'tli  Mr.  Wilson  till  I  got  away  to  Corisco,  which 
I  phall  not  be  able  to  do  for  two  weeks. 

"  Tuesday,  19th. — On  Friday,  about  3  o'clock, 
Mr.  Wilson  and  I  started  on  foot  up  the  mountain, 
i^ome.  six  miles,  to  see  Consul  Burton.  The  clouds 
seemed  to  promise  us  a  heavy  shower,  and  prudence 
suggested  that  we  take  a  change  of  clothes ;  and 
thus  equipped,  each  with  a  long  African  srafF  ia 
hand,  we  set  oif,  followed  by  four  negroes — for 
negroes  are  plenty  here — one  carrying  Mr.  Wil- 
son's matters,  which  he  always  takes  with  him, 
another  our  carpet-bags,  another  our  umbrellas,  etc. 
We  passed  through  the  town,  which  1  found  to  be 
much  larger  than  I  expected,  not  having  seen  the 
most  of  it  before  on  account  of  the  numerous  plan- 
tains, cocoanut  and  orange  trees,  in  the  midst  of 
which  the  houses  are  built.  There  are,  I  judge, 
several  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  town,  chiefly 
negroes  from  other  parts  of  the  coast ;  and  some 
of  them  have  obtained  wealth  by  trading,  to  the 
amount  of  thousands  of  dollars.  The  natives  of 
the  island  are  all  proverbially  low,  and  live  out  in 
the  bush.  Their  houses  are  as  good  as  any  on  the 
island,  some  of  them  handsomely  furnished,  too, 
even  their  tables  abundantly  supplied  with  silver. 

"After  passing  out  of  town  we  found  an  excel- 


90  GEORGE  PAULL. 

lent  road,  made  by  the  Spanisli  governor,  leading 
up  to  Basili,  where  lie  and  Consul  Burton  are  now 
staying,  and  where  the  Spanish  soldiers  are  quar- 
tered on  account  of  their  health.  It  is  the  only 
road  on  the  island,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  need 
of  any  other.  The  Boobies  or  natives  have  their 
paths,  by  which  they  travel  through  tlie  bush.  On 
either  side  of  us  we  found  the  vegetation  so  rank 
and  thick  that  breaking  a  i)ath  through  it  seemed 
an  utter  impossibility;  the  deep  black  soil  and  the 
constant  alternation  of  warm  sunshine  and  rain 
make  tropical  vegetation  almost  incredibly  rank 
and  luxuriant.  The  trees  grow  to  an  enormous 
height  and  size — the  cottonwood  especially — six  or 
seven  feet  in  diameter.  One  palm  tree  I  noticed,  a 
beautiful  specimen,  ran  up  to  the  height  of  ninety- 
six  feet  without  leaf  or  branch,  and  its  diameter 
(about  eighteen  inches)  seemed  to  be  the  same  at 
the  top  as  at  the  bottom.  AVe  had  constantly  our 
ears  filled  with  the  chatter  of  crickets  and  insects, 
and  the  songs  of  birds,  which  we  could  never  see, 
as  they  were  hid  by  the  dense  foliage  of  the  bushes 
and  trees.  We  saw  no  Mild  animals  or  game  of 
any  kind,  and  there  is  but  little  on  the  island. 

"We   crossed    one   creek   and    several    smaller 
streams    of    beautiful    clear    water   as    thev    came 


GEORGE  PAULL.  91 

tumbling  down  their  rocky  beds  on  the  mountain- 
side, reminding  me  of  our  own  mountain  streams  at 
liome.  About  halfway  up  the  mountain  we  came 
to  a  village  of  Boobies.  Their  huts  are  almost  hid 
in  the  bushes,  being  very  low,  and  only  a  very  small 
patch  cleared  around  each  one.  They  seem  to  be 
merely  a  jien,  made  by  driving  stakes  in  the  ground, 
and  roofing  them  witii  a  thatch  of  palm  leaves;  they 
are  about  fifteen  feet  long  by  ten  wide  and  seven  or 
eight  high.  The  Spanish  priests  have  built  one 
or  two  good  frame  houses  at  this  village,  and  are 
living  among  the  natives,  attempting  to  instruct  and 
civilize  them.  These  Boobies  seem  to  be  a  sim- 
ple-hearted people,  but  very  stupid.  They  wear 
no  clothing,  or,  if  any,  a  yard  of  calico  would 
make  it  all.  Their  faces  and  arms  are  horribly 
disfigured  by  tattooing.  We  reached  the  consul's 
house,  or  Basili,  as  it  is  called,  about  5  o'clock. 
The  consul  came  down  the  steps  to  meet  us,  and 
gave  us  a  hearty  welcome,  as  he  and  Mr.  Wilson 
are  great  friends.  As  we  were  quite  wet  he  hur- 
ried us  off  immediately  to  change  our  clothes, 
which  we  soon  did,  and  came  out  with  a  good 
a])petite  for  dinner  after  our  walk  of  six  miles, 
and  an  ascent  of  perhaps  two  or  three  thousand 
feet. 


92  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"The  captain  is  a  very  gentlemanly  man,  very 
intelligent,  fluent  and  outspoken.  He  remembered 
Mr.  Flenniken  "•'  and  the  boys,  Thomas  and  Henry, 
and  inquired  very  kindly  for  them  all.  He  spends 
liis  time  writing,  very  busily,  and  finds  he  can  do 
much  more  up  in  the  mountains  than  down  below. 
The  house  he  lives  in  is  a  very  nice  one,  of  frame, 
one  story  high,  set  on  high  jjosts,  as  all  are  on  the 
island.  As  they  have  no  horses  nor  mules  nor  cattle 
here,  all  the  wood  to  build  it  was  packed  up  tiie 
mountain  by  negroes.  From  the  porch  we  had  a 
fine  view  of  the  ocean  and  the  harbor  below,  and  the 
air  was  refreshing  and  delightful;  though  I  really 
have  not  felt  it  hotter  here  anywhere  than  in  the 
summer  at  home.  The  captain  has  several  negroes 
up  there  with  him.  I  saw  four  little  boys,  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  which  the  famous  King  of 
Dahomey  made  a  present  to  him.  These,  he  says, 
he  intends  keeping  to  support  him  in  his  old  days. 
After  a  lunch  of  tea  and  pineapj)le  in  the  morning, 
we  started  down  the  mountain  before  breakfast,  and 
the  captain  came  with  us  a  mile  or  two  for  the 
walk.  His  style  of  dress  was  rather  primitive — 
a  cassimere  shirt  without  a  coat,  and  his  pants 
btufled  into  his  boots,  and  a  broad -brimmed 
*  Judge  Flenuiken,  of  I'iUsburg,  Pa. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  93 

hat  and  a  long  staflF  completed  liis  attire.  We 
reached  the  consulate  in  time  for  a  hearty  break- 
fast, as  we  usually  had  breakfast  between  9  and  10 
o'clock,  and  took  dinner  between  5  and  6  o'clock. 
I  went  off  to  the  Elgiva  in  hopes  of  preaching  to 
the  men  on  Sabbath,  but  could  not  get  an  oppor- 
tunity. The  Spaniards  will  not  allow  any  Protest- 
ant service  to  be  held  on  the  island. 

"  Wednesday,  April  20. — I  am  spending  my  time 
most  pleasantly  at  the  consulate,  where  Mr.  Wilson 
lives,  and  Captain  Burton  also  when  down  from  the 
mountain.  It  is  a  delightful  place.  The  house  is 
large,  open  inside  up  to  the  roof,  walls  and  parti- 
tions well  painted,  and  the  rafters  whitewashed. 
It  stands  right  on  the  high  beach,  overlooking  the 
bay.  Behind  it  is  a  large  garden,  in  which  are 
cocoanuts,  plantains,  pineapples,  mangoes,  etc.  I 
have  been  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
attention  here  as  everywhere  else.  Indeed,  it  often 
melts  me  to  think  how  God  has  raised  up  friends 
for  me  everywhere,  who  treat  me  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  consideration,  as  though  I  had  been 
one  of  their  old  friends  all  my  life.  Nothing  is 
ever  lost  by  being  kind  to  others,  and,  indeed,  I 
more  and  more  feel  that  the  less  we  live  for  self 
and  the  more  for  others  the  nearer  we  come  to  the 


94  GEORGE  PAULL. 

S])irit  of  Christ.  '  He  that  saveth  his  life  shall  lose 
it,'  and  he  that  is  willing  to  wear  away  his  life  iu 
kind  deeds  to  others  shall  save  it. 

'^  Friday,  22d. — From  my  back  window  I  see 
distinctly  the  Camaroons  Mountains  on  the  main- 
land, towering  up  to  a  great  height.  Captain  Bur- 
ton ascended  the  highest  peaks,  and  has  written  a 
book  iu  Avhit'h  he  gives  an  account  of  them. 
Mr.  AYilson  and  I  went  down  to  have  a  sea  bath 
last  evening.  Sea  baths  here  are  most  delightful, 
as  the  air  and  w'ater  are  comfortably  warm.  Three 
or  four  black  '  boys  '  went  with  us  to  carry  towels, 
and  mats  to  stand  on,  and  Batanga  canoes  for  us  to 
sail  iu.  These  are  quite  narrow,  and  the  least  tilt 
will  turn  them  over;  but  they  are  so  light  that  a 
man  will  easily  carry  one  twenty  feet  long.  The 
boys,  used  here  for  everything,  are  Kroomen 
brought  from  the  coast.  They  are  good  fellows  to 
work,  sprightly  and  intelligent,  and  generally  stay 
from  home  a  year.  The  natives  do  uot  often  come 
in  to  town,  except  to  bring  their  palm  oil,  which 
is  almost  the  only  product  of  the  island. 

"  In  the  w^ay  of  living  here,  where  ships  come  so 
often,  we  have  almost  everything  that  you  have  in 
civilized  life,  and  the  troi)ical  fruits  in  addition; 
but  the  cost  is  greater — a  little  chicken,  half  a  del- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  95 

lar;  an  egg,  half  a  dime;  beef,  etc.,  in  proportion. 
Most  of  it  is  sent  out  from  England  preserved  in 
cans.  All  the  cooking  is  done  by  men  trained  to  it, 
so  that  the  life  of  a  trader  here  is  very  much  like 
the  life  of  a  planter  in  the  South. 

"Monday,  25th. — Our  beautiful  bay  seems  full 
of  vessels,  some  of  which  have  come  in  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  coast  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  mail. 
AVe  have  some  visitors  on  the  island — three  or  four 
ladies  from  the  Calabar  mission,  about  one  hundred 
miles  north,  on  the  mainland.  They  are  all  Scotch 
ladies.  I  thought  to  have  preaching  again  on  the 
Elgiva  yesterday,  but  the  captain  did  not  find  it 
convenient. 

"  Tuesday,  26th. — Yesterday  I  had  a  most  pleas- 
ant surprise.  Mr.  Mackey,  from  Corisco,  supposing 
that  I  would  be  here,  came  up  to  meet  me  on  a 
Spanish  vessel  which  had  been  at  Corisco.  He 
says  they  have  been  Avaiting  anxiously  for  me,  as 
they  are  short  of  help.  One  of  the  most  pleasant 
parts  of  the  surprise  was,  that  he  brought  my  letters 
that  had  already  arrived  at  Corisco. 

"April  28. — This  morning  our  regular  monthly 
mail  came  in,  and  brought  me  letters,  so  that  I  have 
had  a  great  feast  in  the  letter  line.  In  Lizzie's  letter 
of  the  15th  January,  she  gives  the  sad  tidings  of 


96  GEORGE  FAULL. 

Aaron's  death.  May  the  God  of  all  grace  comfort 
you  all !  I  will  write  after  I  get  to  Corisco.  I  am 
anxious  to  hoar  all  the  particulars  about  his  death. 
Mr.  Mackey  is  off  in  the  harbor,  trying  to  get  us  a 
passage  by  the  French  steamer.  If  he  succeeds,  we 
go  down  this  morning.  Long  ere  this  reaches  you 
1  hope  to  have  entered  on  my  solemn  work,  I  trust 
with  deeper,  truer  and  more  solemn  views  of  life 
than  ever  I  had  before.  May  very  many  prayers 
follow  me  from  the  family  circle !  It  will  be 
another  month  before  we  hear  from  each  other. 
Let  each  succeeding  month  find  us  more  earnest 
in  the  inquiry,  '  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do?'  and  in  our  efforts  simply  to  believe  in 
Christ." 

The  following  letter  to  an  intimate  friend,  written 
from  Fernando  Po,  West  xVfrica,  April  26,  1SQ4, 
evinces  Mr.  Paul's  missionary  spirit  and  care  of 
his  own  Christian  life  : 

"  Away  across  the  wide  waste,  from  all  the  dear 
ones  that  I  love,  I  sit  to-day  where  darkness  is  as 
the  shadow  of  death  ;  and  I  would  not  have  it  other- 
wise. Not  because  I  do  not  love  my  friends,  not 
because  it  gives  me  no  pangs  to  go  down  into  and 
remain  in  the  dark  valley  of  this  separation,  but 
you  know  that  I  always  felt  and  prayed  that  one  end 


GEORGE  FAULL.  97 

in  leading  nie  into  the  wilderness,  as  it  were,  might 
be  my  purification.  And  if  God  carries  on  his  own 
work  thus,  in  his  own  way,  what  are  all  other  things 
to  me  in  comparison  to  it  ?  I  know  I  shall  be  the 
happiest  man  on  earth  if  Christ  in  his  fullness 
dwell  in  me,  though  my  name  should  never  be 
breathed  beyond  the  borders  of  this  dark  land.  I 
have  had  many  dark  hours  since  I  left  you  ;  indeed, 
for  weeks  during  my  voyage,  no  light, '  neither  sun 
nor  stars,  appeared  ; '  the  waves  and  the  billows  went 
over  me.  I  could  not  tear  my  eyes  away  from 
peering  into  that  deep,  dark  pit  of  sin  within  me, 
although  I  knew  well  that  no  peace  or  light  could 
come  from  it,  and  that  Christ  only  could  give  me 
light.  But  most  heartily  do  I  thank  my  God  for 
these  days  of  darkness  ;  for  you  know  that  beauti- 
ful hymn,  '  I  asked  the  Lord  that  I  might  grow,' 
etc.  That  is  the  way  up  out  of  darkness  into 
light.  I  believe  there  is  no  other  way ;  and  now 
my  prayer  is.  My  God,  let  the  darkness  come  if 
thou  wilt  only  lead  me  in  it,  and  bring  me  forth 
into  entire  consecration  to  Christ. 

"I  think  I  have  only  lately  begun  to  see  that  in 
our  religion  we  ought  to  be  most  terribly  in  earnest, 
even  storming  the  kingdom;  for  how  else  can  we 
take  it?     I  hang  my  head  with  shame  whenever  I 


98  GEORQE  PAULL. 

think  how  halfway  I  have  been  all  ray  life,  and  how 
miserably  halfway  and  undecided  I  always  shall 
be,  unless  God  take  my  case  in  hand.  Do  you  not 
often  find  yourself  forgetting  that  it  is  appointed 
unto  us  to  enter  into  that  strait  gate  by  striving,  or 
that  we  are  to  gain  the  crown  by  coming  off  con- 
querors— attacking,  sword  in  hand,  the  armies  of 
the  aliens  within  us,  searching  them  out  diligently, 
and  constantly  slaying  them  one  by  one,  till  not  any 
enemy  remains  to  raise  his  voice  against  the  reign 
of  Christ  within  us  ? 

"  But  about  Africa  I  have,  as  yet,  said  nothing. 
Now,  by  the  goodness  of  God,  I  have  my  foot  on 
her  heathen  soil,  and  I  humbly  pray  that  it  may 
never  be  removed  until  I  be  made  instrumental  in 
claiming  some  of  her  children  for  God.  Without 
doubt  death  reigneth  here.  The  trail  of  the  serpent 
is  deeply  marked  over  all  the  land.  The  shadow 
lies  so  heavily  on  the  land,  that  the  courage  and 
zeal  of  the  strongest  must  fail  if  he  rests  on  a  hu- 
man arm.  But  I  am  glad  and  satisfied  when  I 
know  that  He  whose  word  is  power  has  promised 
that  the  Son  shall  have  his  inheritance  here,  that 
Ethiopia  shall  stretch  forth  her  hands  unto  God. 
True,  God  has  not  said  when  this  glorious  consum- 
mation shall  be  brought  about,  but  we  know  that 


GEORGE  PAULL.  99 

the  leaven  which  we  put  into  the  meal  will  work, 
though  we  see  it  not,  aud  the  bread  (seed)  which  we 
cast  upon  the  waters  will  bear  the  rich  harvest 
(fruit),  though  it  be  after  many  days. 

"  Give  your  little  son  a  hearty  kiss  for  me.  I 
pray  that  he  may  be  a  lamb,  carried  in  the  arms  of 
the  great  Shepherd.  Try  to  get  the  love  of  Christ 
mingled  with  his  very  life,  so  that  it  may  grow  with 
his  growth.  Why  ought  we  not  to  hope  that  the 
little  ones,  above  all  others,  should  be  attracted  by 
the  sweetness  and  loveliness  of  Christ  ?  If  we  con- 
stantly present  Christ  to  their  little  loving  hearts 
in  all  the  attractive  features  of  his  character,  I  do 
not  know  how  it  is  possible  for  them  to  help  loving 
him.  They  cannot  but  be  melted  by  displays  of 
love  and  kindness  such  as  Christ  has  made ;  and 
if  we  keep  these  before  them,  they  must  sink  into 
the  heart  and  transform  the  life." 

Mr.  Paull  here  uses  strong  language  in  recom- 
mending religious  instruction  and  example  as 
means  of  grace  to  children,  yet  he  was  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  doctrine  of  original  sin  and  total  de- 
pravity, and  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work  in  regeneration. 

To  his  father  he  writes  whilst  voyaging  again 
from  Fernando  Po  to  Corisco : 


100  GEOIWK  PAULL. 

"On  Schooner  'Estremadura,'  April  29,  1S64. 

"This  evening  Mr.  Macl^ey  and  I  bade  farewell 
to  Fernando  Po,  with  many  pleasant  recollections 
of  the  kindness  received  from  Mr.  Wilson  and 
others.  Our  next  resting-place  is  on  the  little 
schooner  which  is  to  take  us  down  to  Corisco,  a 
vessel  belonging  to  Mr.  Laughland,  and  running 
between  his  trading-points  on  the  coast.  Accom- 
modations for  traveling  here  are  but  meagre,  but 
one  feels  thankful  to  get  almost  any  mode  of  con- 
veyance. Two  of  the  young  men  that  came  out 
with  me  on  the  Elgiva  are  with  us,  going  down  to 
the  Gaboon  River.  We  four,  with  the  captain  and 
his  wufe,  filled  up  the  little  cabin  to  overflowing, 
leaving  scarcely  any  room  to  move.  To  relieve 
the  monotony  of  his  voyages  the  captain  keeps  on 
board  two  parrots  and  a  Scotch  terrier  dog,  and  by 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  Wilson  a  little  goat  is  added 
to  complete  the  list. 

"May  1. — This  morning  we  are  sailing  slowly 
down  the  channel  between  Fernando  Po  and  the 
mainland.  The  channel  is,  I  suppose,  about  forty 
miles  wide.  The  winds  are  so  light  along  the  coast 
here  that  it  generally  takes  a  week  to  make  the 
trip — two  hundred  miles. 

"  We   had   service   on   deck   to-day.      As   Mr. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  101 

Mackey  is  feeble,  I  officiated.  Spoke  to  them  from 
the  twenty-third  Psalm. 

"May  4. — We  have  been  sailing  all  the  while 
in  sight  of  the  mainland,  though  five  or  six  miles 
distant.  There  are  few  mountains,  but  the  high 
hills  run  all  along  the  coast,  rising  up  behind  one 
another  tier  after  tier.  There  are  no  places  of  in- 
terest to  be  pointed  out,  no  cities,  no  grand  old 
ruins,  but  all  is  one  wild  wilderness  save  here  and 
there,  at  the  mouth  of  some  river,  you  find  a  little 
native  town.  To-day  we  were  amused  to  see  a 
lone  mariner  sailing  bravely  by  us — a  bird  near 
the  size  of  a  pigeon,  perched  on  a  cocoanut,  or 
something  of  that  size,  riding  coolly  along  and 
keeping  his  balance,  never  heeding  the  tossings  of 
the  waves  as  at  one  time  they  sent  him  up  to  the 
top  and  again  down  to  the  bottom. 

"  Friday,  May  6. — This  afternoon  ray  long 
journey  is  ended,  and  I  stand  at  last  on  my  island 
home,  with  a  heart  full  of  gratitude  to  God  that 
he  has  preserved  me  in  all  my  journeyings,  and 
especially  that  he  ever  put  into  my  heart  to  come 
and  preach  his  gospel  to  the  heathen.  The  captain 
anchored  two  or  three  miles  off  shore,  and  Dr. 
Nassau  came  off  to  meet  us  with  a  boat.  As  our 
baggage    was  considerable,  one  of  the  schooner's 


102  GEORGE  PAULL. 

boats  had  to  come  off  with  us  and  carry  part  of  it. 
Cori.sco  is  a  beauliful  little  gem  of  an  island, 
covered  with  verdure  of  the  deepest  green.  All 
around  it  lies  a  sandy  beach,  white  almost  as  the 
snow,  over  which  the  huge  waves  surge  and  break 
unceasingly.  Mr.  Mackey  and  I  were  in  a  boat 
together,  and  when  we  landed  went  immediately  to 
his  house,  on  a  little  eminence  about  one  hundred 
yards  back  from  the  beach,  and  in  full  view  of  the 
sea  and  in  hearing  of  its  unceasing  thunder-like 
roar.  Mrs.  Mackey  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome  to 
my  new  home,  and  now  I  feel  once  more  as  if  I 
had  found  a  resting-place  for  the  sole  of  ray  foot, 
and  could  settle  down  in  quietness  to  my  work. 
You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  I  am  to  make  my 
home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey. 

"  And  now  I  wish  you  could  look  over,  for  a 
moment,  into  Africa,  and  catch  a  glimpse  of  this 
home  of  beauty  in  the  heart  of  heathenism.  It 
would  make  you  glad,  as  it  has  gladdened  me. 
It  would  make  you  feel  as  you  can  fancy  some 
traveler  u])on  the  sandy  desert  would  were 
he  to  light  upon  a  garden  of  blooming  flowers. 
So  this  little  home  of  Mr.  Mackey's,  'Evanga- 
pimba,'  has  been  fitted  up  with  such  taste  that  I 
never  would  desire  anything  more  beautiful.     The 


OEOROE  PAULL.  103 

house  is  neat  and  large,  with  broad  verandas 
running  round  it.  The  grounds  are  planted  with 
fruit  trees  and  flowers — the  orange,  lemon  and 
lime,  plantain,  banana,  cocoanut,  etc.  In  the  little 
pasture  lots  about  you  see  a  pony  and  some  cattle, 
goats  and  sheep,  rabbits,  ducks  and  chickens ;  so 
that,  in  point  of  comforts  such  as  these,  there  is  no 
lack.  They  live  here  as  civilized  people  do  in 
America  or  anywhere  else.  I  have  a  sleeping-room 
in  Mr.  Mackey's  house  up  stairs,  and  a  very  nice 
study  in  a  bamboo  house  in  the  yard." 

In  his  journal  of  this  date  Mr.  Paull  speaks  of 
the  Kroomen : 

'"'There  is  a  tribe  of  Africans  from  Cape  Palmas, 
called  Kroomen,  and  known  all  along  the  coast. 
They  usually  hire  themselves  out  to  traders  and 
captains  of  vessels,  often  ten  or  twelve  in  a  batch, 
under  a  head  man,  who  becomes  responsible  for 
the  risk.  These  Kroomen  are  mostly  stout  and 
well  built.  They  generally  hire  themselves  for  a 
year,  and  then  return  home  with  the  proceeds  of 
their  labor.  Most  of  this  is  plundered  from  them 
by  the  older  ones,  and  with  what  is  left  they  buy 
a  wife. 

"  Their  heads  are  shaved  in  all  fantastical  shapes. 
Their  faces,  too,  are  marked  usually  with  a  black 


104  GEORGE  PAULL. 

streak  down  the  forehead  and  nose,  also  an  arrow- 
head at  the  corner  of  tlie  eyes.  Tliey  delight  in 
strings  of  large  beads  around  the  neck  and  wrists, 
sometimes  cowries  and  tigers'  teeth  around  the 
ankle.  Hardly  any  clothes  except  the  loin-cloth 
and  perhaps  an  old  hat  or  vest. 

"  They  seem  to  drink  water  always  after  their  food, 
and  are  particularly  careful  of  their  teeth,  cleans- 
ing them  always  after  eating,  generally  carrying  a 
little  wooden  brush  tied  about  their  necks  with  a 
string.  They  talk  broken  English,  most  all  smoke 
their  short,  black  pipes,  are  fed  on  rice,  and  have 
their  long-toothed  wooden  combs. 

"il/onc/aj/,  9th. — Yesterday  I  went  to  church. 
The  meetings  are  held  in  a  large  bamboo  church  near 
by.  Dr.  Nassau  preached  in  English  and  one  of 
the  black  boys  interpreted  it  to  the  congregation, 
which  was  mostly  composed  of  young  people  be- 
longing to  the  mission  schools.  They  are  as  neat, 
nice-looking  black  children  as  I  have  ever  seen 
anywhere.  We  had  Sabbath-school  in  the  after- 
noon. I  taught  a  class  of  young  men,  some  of 
whom  understood  English.  At  night  Mr.  Mackey 
preached  or  explained  the  first  chapter  of  Ephe- 
sians  in  English,  which  Avas  interpreted. 

"  It  did  mv  heart  arood  to  feel  that  I  was  thus 


GEORGE  PAULL.  105 

worshiping  God  in  this  land  of  darkness,  and  to 
know  that  he  had  at  last  answered  my  prayer  and 
brought  me  as  a  missionary  to  Africa.  Now,  since 
he  has  done  thus  much,  my  unceasing  petition  is, 
that  he  will  consecrate  me  wholly  to  him  and  use 
me  entirely  for  his  glory.  It  seems  to  me  nothing 
can  be  done  here  without  prayer,  unceasing  prayer. 
The  minds  of  the  heathen  are  so  dark  and  igno- 
rant and  debased  that  nothing  but  a  ray  of  heavenly 
light  can  penetrate  them. 

"  There  are,  I  think,  twelve  hundred  on  the  island, 
which  is  about  three  miles  long  and  three  wide. 
The  people  live  in  little  villages  of  a  dozen  houses 
or  less,  built  near  the  sea-shore.  Their  houses  are 
built  of  bamboo  poles  split  in  two,  and  tied  one 
above  another  to  stakes  driven  in  the  ground;  the 
floors  are  of  hard  clay.  I  see  no  difference  between 
the  natives  here  and  the  negroes  at  home,  except 
that  here  they  wear  scarcely  any  clothes.  They 
seem  to  be  as  apt  to  learn  and  as  intelligent  look- 
ing as  any.  They  nearly  all  wear  a  heavy  roll  of 
small  beads  of  various  colors  around  their  necks, 
and  the  women  wear  brass  rings  around  the  ankle, 
extending  one  above  another  sometimes  nearly  to 
the  knee. 

"  The  f  Id  king  was  in  this  morning  to  see  us. 


106  GEORGE  PAULL. 

lie  wore  an  old  dingy  silk  hat  and  black  coat,  and 
a  large  piece  of  light  muslin  wrapped  around  him 
extending  down  to  his  feet.  He  carried  a  butcher- 
knife  in  a  sheath  belted  around  his  waist;  so  do 
most  of  the  men.  He  wished  Mr.  INIackey  to  tell 
me  that  he  settled  all  the  affairs  of  the  black  men 
and  his  brother  of  the  white  men  on  the  island. 
This  was,  I  suppose,  to  give  me  some  idea  of  his 
position.  He  is  an  amiable  and  quiet  old  man. 
They  look  with  great  interest  and  curiosity  on  a 
stranger.  A  great  many  have  been  in  to  see  me 
and  shake  hands  with  me.  When  I  am  on  the 
veranda  I  see  many  of  them  stopping  to  look  as 
they  pass.  I  observed  one  woman  with  a  little 
child  in  her  arms  standing  and  pointing  to  me  for 
a  long  time,  trying  to  get  the  child  to  look  at  the 
stranger. 

"There  are  three  stations  belonging  to  the  mis- 
sion on  the  island,  one  here  (Evangasimba),  and 
Ugobi  and  Alongo  at  different  points.  There  are 
two  excellent  houses  here  (at  Evangasimba),  one 
occupied  by  Mr.  Mackey  and  the  other  by  Dr. 
Nassau  and  Mrs.  M'Queen.  Ugobi  and  Alongo 
are  occujiied  by  native  teachers  while  Mr.  Clark 
and  Mr.  de  Heer  are  away.  Mr.  Mackey  has  a 
carpenter  shop,  and    native  carpenters,  who  have 


OEORQE  PAULL.  107 

been  trained,  making  boxes,  which  are  exchanged 
for  goods  to  the  traders.  He  has  a  store-house 
also,  in  which  he  keeps  goods  to  buy  food  from 
the  natives,  and  pay  them  for  work,  etc.  Every- 
thing needed  is  sent  out  by  the  Board  with  vessels 
coming  to  Gaboon  River,  so  that  there  is  nothing 
to  prevent  our  living  comfortably.  We  have  good 
coffee  and  tea  and  sugar,  and  sometimes  goat's  milk 
for  cream,  also  excellent  bread  and  sweet  potatoes 
and  goat's  flesh,  and  fish  and  roasted  plantains 
and  tomatoes,  rice,  eggs,  bananas  and  oranges,  etc. 
There  is  plenty  of  corn  on  the  island,  so  that  we 
can  have  roasting-ears  and  mush  and  corn  bread. 
So  you  will  not,  I  hope,  feel  any  anxiety  about  my 
personal  comforts.  I  am  as  happy  and  contented, 
and  am  as  well  cared  for,  as  I  could  be  anywhere 
in  the  wide  world  except  at  home.  Never  for  an 
hour  since  I  left  have  I  doubted  that  I  was  in  the 
path  of  duty,  nor  ever  have  I  been  happier  in  my 
life  than  I  am  now  in  the  contemplation  of  this, 
I  trust,  my  life-work  among  the  heathen.  The 
climate  here  is  delightful.  Tlie  sun  is  hot,  but  it 
is  easy  to  carry  an  umbrella.  The  nights  are  cool 
enough  to  sleep  under  a  blanket.  With  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  I  see  nothing  to  prevent  me  from  en- 
joying good  health.     As  this  is  the  wet  season,  we 


108  GEORGE  PA  ULL. 

have  rains  almost  every  clay,  but  the  soil  is  sandy 
and  the  water  is  soon  absorbed. 

"Thursday,  May  12. — To-day  we  had  a  meeting 
of  the  mission  to  consult  as  to  what  course  I  should 
pursue.  They  suggested  that  I  go  to  the  study  of 
the  language.  Mr,  Mackey  has  secured  an  inter- 
preter (Ubengi)  for  me  at  twenty  cents  a  day.  He 
is  to  come  to-morrow,  and  I  commence  work  in 
earnest.  I  have  been  trying  to  pick  up  a  few 
words,  and  have  about  thirty.  I  am  anxious  to 
learn  the  language  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to 
preach  in  it. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  and  I  went  up  this 
evening  after  tea  to  the  girls'  school,  kept  by  Dr. 
Nassau  and  Mrs.  M'Queen.  The  Doctor  invited 
us  up  to  hear  the  children  sing.  They  have  about 
fifteen  little  girls,  between  the  ages  of  seven  and 
twelve  or  thirteen.  They  were  all  neatly  clad,  and 
as  intelligent,  nice-looking  black  children  as  I  ever 
saw  in  America.  You  Avould  never  know  them  to 
be  heathen  if  you  saw  them  in  a  Christian  land. 
Dr.  Nassau  led  them,  and  they  sang  quite  a  num- 
ber of  hymns,  both  in  Benga  and  in  English,  I 
surely  never  heard  sweeter  singing.  I  thought, 
those  of  them  who  are  saved  will  sing  no  less 
sweetly    in    heaven    for    having    been    born    in   a 


GEORGE  PA  ULL.  109 

heathen  laud.  They  learn  very  fast.  Most  of 
them  will  commit  a  hymn  by  having  it  read  over 
to  them  a  few  times  line  by  line.  This  seems  to 
be  the  truest  and  surest  way  of  carrying  on  the 
work  in  Africa,  by  commencing  w'ith  the  chil- 
dren ;  though  even  some  of  them,  after  having 
been  trained  up  and  made  a  profession  of  relig- 
ion, are  led  astray  into  sin  by  the  heathenish  prac- 
tices of  those  around  them.  Nearly  all  the  little 
girls  in  the  school  are  already  betrothed,  and  will 
marry  at  about  the  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen.  A 
wife  costs  about  one  hundred  dollars  here,  and  they 
are  very  difficult  to  be  got  at  that,  for  this  reason, 
they  are  betrothed  so  young.  Almost  the  greatest 
difficulty  the  missionaries  have  to  contend  against 
is  polygamy.  A  man  is  usually  looked  down  upon 
with  contempt  that  has  but  one  wife ;  some  have 
fifteen  or  twenty.  It  is  said  that  yesterday  one 
of  the  chief  men  on  the  island  had  three  people 
killed  because  they  were  supposed  to  have  be- 
witched one  of  his  relatives  who  died  a  short 
time  ago.  This  is  yet  the  habitation  of  horrible 
cruelty. 

"Saturday,  May  14. — Yesterday  Ubengi  came, 
and  I  made  a  commencement  in  the  Benga.  I 
have  him  wish  me  from  8  o'clock  till  11  o'clock. 


110  GEORGE  PAULL. 

He  is  quite  an  intelligent  fellow,  and  understands 
English  pretty  Avell.  As  there  is  no  complete 
grammar  in  the  language,  nor  any  lexicon,  I  have 
to  proceed  by  learning  the  words  and  the  structure 
of  the  language  from  hearing  him  talk,  and  hav- 
ing him  read  out  of  the  Benga  Testament.  If  I 
am  allowed  to  go  on  uninterruptedly  with  the 
study  of  the  language,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  preach 
in  it  in  less  than  a  year.  But  if  I  find  it  neces- 
sary to  take  charge  of  a  station,  preach,  etc.,  as  is 
likely — for  Mr.  Mackey  has  about  decided  to  leave 
for  England  in  ten  days — it  may  take  me  two 
years,  or  even  three. 

"  I  see  several  varieties  of  very  pretty  birds  fly- 
ing around,  mostly  small  ones,  and  some  of  them 
beautiful  singers  ;  and  parrots  in  any  number  I  see 
flying  around  over  head.  They  are  only  visitors, 
having  their  homes  on  the  mainland.  I  have  not 
been  around  over  the  island  much  yet,  as  it  is  cov- 
ered with  a  thick  growth  of  underbrush,  and  there 
are  only  narrow  footpaths  running  through  it  here 
and  there.  The  little  gray  pony  (Mr.  Mackey's), 
about  as  large  as  a  yearling  colt,  is  now  in  my 
charge,  and  I  shall,  perhaps,  make  a  tour  round  the 
beach  on  him  some  day. 

^^  Monday,  May  16. — Heard  Mr.  Mackey  preach 


GEORGE  PAULL.  Ill 

yesterday  to  the  natives.  He  makes  the  services 
very  short,  as  the  natives  soon  become  weary.  I 
taught  a  class  in  Sabbath-school,  and  at  night 
preached  in  English,  and  without  an  interpreter,  as 
most  of  those  present  (adults)  were  able  to  under- 
stand English.  To-day  we  had  a  meeting  of  the 
mission  to  let  Mr.  Mackey  get  away  to  England  for 
his  health.  It  seems  a  sore  blow  to  the  mission, 
so  w^eak  before,  and  now  the  work  to  be  done  al- 
most overwhelming  to  those  who  remain.  But  our 
help  is  in  God  :  '  when  we  are  weak  then  are  we 
strong.'  He  may  be  just  bringing  us  to  our  knees 
so  that  He  may  undertake  for  us.  Besides  the  work 
on  the  island,  there  are  stations  on  the  mainland 
that  must  be  visited  and  looked  after.  Dr.  Nassau 
and  I  have  divided  the  M^ork  between  us.  He  will 
preach  here,  and  I  at  Alongo  and  Ugobi.  The 
business  part  of  it  we  also  divided,  as  that  part  has 
grown  to  considerable  dimensions.  They  appointed 
me  treasurer  of  the  mission.  There  is  about  three 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  on  hand  for  the 
supply  of  the  mission  schools,  to  exchange  for 
labor,  food,  etc.  This  comes  under  my  depart- 
ment, so  that  if  I  had  a  good  knowledge  of  bus- 
iness I  could  use  it  here." 

[It  must  be  remembered  by  the  reader  that  ordi- 


112  GEORGE  PAULL. 

narily  trade  is  carried  on  at  Corisco  by  barter,  not 
by  money;  hence  the  necessity  of  goods  with  which 
to  pay  for  labor  or  purchas"e  supplies.] 

"  Sunday,  May  22. — It  seems  not  an  inappropri- 
ate use  of  this  Sabbath  evening  to  write  you  a  few 
last  words  before  my  letters  go,  as  Mr.  Mackey 
takes  thera  with  him  when  he  sails,  to-morrow 
morning  at  2  o'clock,  for  Fernando  Po,  to  take  the 
steamer  for  England.  We  have  had  a  delightful 
day  of  Sabbath  privileges  in  this  African  darkness. 
Mr.  Mackey  preached  this  morning  to  a  full  house 
of  heathen,  who  had  gathered  in  because  of  his 
going  away.  In  the  evening  Dr.  Nassau  preached, 
and  we  had  one  or  two  prayers  after  service,  and 
an  address  from  Mr.  Bushnell  of  the  Gaboon  mis- 
sion, who  came  over  yesterday  to  bid  Mr.  Mackey 
good-bye. 

"  My  health,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  is  very  good, 
perhaps  never  has  been  better.  My  sea  voyage 
seemed  to  have  so  good  an  effect  on  me,  that  when 
it  ended  I  weighed  one  hundred  and  sixty-four 
pounds — more  than  ever  I  have  known  myself  to 
weigh.  I  often  think  of  you  all,  and  greatly  desire 
you  to  remember  me  continually  in  your  prayers. 
Greatly  do  I  long  for  entire  devotion  to  God,  and 
for  the  removal  of  everything  in  me  which  hinders 


GEORGE  PAVLL.  113 

the  constant  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  ana 
happy  and  perfectly  contented  in  the  prospect  of 
the  work  before  me,  and  have  no  unhappiness  or 
sorrow  except  because  of  the  sin  that  is  in  me," 

To  his  parents: 

"  CoRisco  Island,  W.  Africa,  May  24,  1864. 

"  Yesterday  morning  I  accompanied  Mr.  Mackey 
to  the  beach  to  see  him  off  for  England.  We  all 
hope  he  may  be  granted  a  speedy  return,  for  we 
scarcely  know  how  to  spare  one  from  our  small 
force. 

"  My  new  business  of  treasurer  commenced  on 
Monday,  which  is  the  day  for  paying  off  the  em- 
ployed with  goods,  and  the  natives  who  are  not  in 
any  way  employed  by  the  mission,  many  of  them, 
come  to  buy,  and  cannot  see  why  they  should  not 
be  accommodated.  They  bring  money,  while  they 
have  it,  obtained  from  the  Spaniards  who  are 
building  on  the  island.  Mr.  Bushnell  went  off 
this  (Tuesday)  morning  to  Gaboon  in  his  little  sail 
boat,  about  as  large  as  a  skiff;  you  would  think  it 
too  frail  a  boat  to  navigate  the  seas.  I  went  to  the 
beach  and  saw  him  off.  He  is  a  warm-hearted. 
Christian  man,  who  keeps  his  '  lamp  trimmed  and 
burning.' 

"I    had    not   been    to   see   either  of  the  other 

H 


114  GEORGE  PAULL. 

stations  (Alontjo  or  Ugobi)  on  tlie  island  ;  but  to- 
day i)r.  Nassau  and  1  wont  over  to  Alongo,  on  the 
north  corner  of  the  ishind,  three  miles  away.  I 
rode  the  pony,  but  found  it  tiresome,  as  my  feet 
reached  abnost  to  his  hoofs.  AVc  traveled  alonj^ 
the  almost  snow-Avliite  sandy  beach,  a  broad  and 
beautiful  place  to  ride.  All  along  lay  sea-shells 
and  coral  and  stranded  seaweed,  and  the  white 
surf  with  a  continual  roar  broke  on  the  beach  and 
rolled  almost  to  our  feet.  Alongo  is  Mr,  Clemens' 
place,  and  after  him  Mr.  Clark's,  but  in  his  absence 
a  native  teacher  (Ibia)  has  charge  of  the  school. 
It  is  a  most  beautiful  place,  on  the  highest  point  of 
the  island,  and  with  a  full,  broad  view  of  the  sea. 
This  is  to  be  my  preaching  place,  and  I  made  ar- 
rangements to  commence  next  Sabbath.  A  good 
many  of  the  people  were  met  aloiig  the  shore ;  some 
of  them  had  their  nets  spread  out  drying.  These, 
I  believe,  are  made  of  cocoanut  fibre,  and  are  used 
for  catching  turtles,  of  which  there  are  many  and 
large  ones.  They  give  us,  as  we  pass,  their  saluta- 
tion, which  is  'Bolo,'  or  if  they  are  saluting  two 
or  more,  '  Bolani.'  The  reply  you  are  exj^ected  to 
make  is,  *  Ai  Bolo'  or  '  Bolani.'  This  takes  the 
place  of  our  'How  do  you  do?' 

"3Iay  25. — To-day  I  have    not  done  anything 


GEORGE  PAULL.  115 

at  the  ^  Benga/  as  I  have  been  somewhat  feverish 
since  last  night;  and  wlien  signs  of  fever  show 
themselves  here  all  study  must  be  laid  aside,  lest  it 
increase  the  fever.  Two  of  the  Spanish  priests 
were  over  to-day  from  where  they  are  building 
their  house,  to  borrow  tools  and  buy  some  things 
from  the  store-house.  I  was  perj^lexed  to  under- 
stand them,  and  to  get  them  to  understand  me. 
We  are  on  good  terms  with  them,  and  think  it  bet- 
ter, by  all  means,  to  live  peaceably  with  them,  if 
possible;  but  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  let  the 
peace  continue  after  they  are  once  settled. 

"I  have  not  yet  given  you  an  account  of  our 
mode  of  living  here,  which  I  must  do  that  you  may 
have  a  better  idea  of  mission  life.  We  rise  a  little 
after  daylight,  and  before  the  front  door  is  open 
there  will  be  perhaps  half  a  dozen  people  about  it 
with  something  to  sell — eggs  or  cassada  (which  is  a 
root  of  the  nature  of  a  yam  or  potato,  and  the 
children  of  the  mission  school  are  fed  on  it) — or  per- 
haps they  want  to  buy  something,  or  maybe  only 
want  to  sit  a  few  minutes  to  look  or  talk.  At 
half-past  six  the  bell  (which  hangs  at  the  side  of 
the  house)  rings  for  prayers,  and  all  about  the 
premises  are  expected  to  come  in.  Mrs.  Mackey 
then  hears  the  girls   recite  a  verse  each  in  Benga, 


116  GEORGE  PAULL. 

and  then  we  have  ]M'aycr.s  and  breakfast.  At  8 
o'clock  the  bell  rings  again  and  all  go  to  work,  the 
carpenters  in  the  .shop  and  two  men  to  cntting 
weeds  abont  the  mission  gronnds,  the  girls  to  their 
books,  and  I  with  my  interpreter  to  the  study  of 
the  language  till  11  o'clock.  At  12  o'clock  every 
one  quits  work  and  we  have  dinner.  I  generally 
spend  the  afternoon  in  reading,  writing  and  study- 
ing, and  hearing  the  boys  recite  English.  The  bell 
rings  at  2  o'clock  for  the  men  to  go  to  work,  and 
at  5  o'clock  for  them  to  quit,  when  we  have  supper. 
The  men  have  thus  much  spare  time  to  get  their 
own  food,  which  is  generally  a  little  fish  and  cassada. 
I  try  to  go  to  bed  here  between  9  and  10  o'clock, 
for  if  we  lived  here  with  the  same  recklessness  as 
in  America  life  would  soon  go.  Tiie  people  come 
to  trouble  me  through  the  day  to  get  things  from 
the  store-house,  but  as  it  breaks  up  one's  time  to  no 
purpose,  Mrs.  Mackey  tells  them  to  go  away  and 
come  back  in  the  evening  or  early  in  the  morning. 
"  3Iay  31. — For  several  days  my  pen  has  been 
at  rest,  and  I  myself  for  most  of  the  time  laid  on 
the  lounge,  with  my  first  attack  of  African  fever. 
I  had  only  a  slight  attack,  which  lasted  about  three 
or  four  days,  but  did  not  confine  me  to  my  bed. 
Utter  prostration  and  pain  in  the  back,  with  head- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  117 

ache^  were  the  most  uncomfortable  features  about  it 
But  with  the  plentiful  use  of  quinine  and  other 
medicines,  coupled  with  two  visits  a  day  from  Dr. 
Nassau,  I  got  over  it  in  time  to  preach  on  Sabbath 
at  Alongo. 

"  I  had  a  pleasant  ride  to  Alongo  on  Sabbath 
morning,  except  that  the  tide  was  in  so  far  as  to  be 
constantly  dashing  about  the  pony's  feet  and 
wetting  mine.  I  met  several  natives  on  the  beach, 
about  one-third  of  the  way  up,  and  as  I  knew  them 
I  asked  them  to  come  along  to  church.  They  said, 
as  this  Sunday?'  I  said, 'Yes.'  They  replied, 
'  It  is  too  far  to  go  to  Alongo ;  we  go  to  Evanga- 
simba.'  I  said,  '  Well,  go  to  Evangasimba.'  But 
one  boy  did  trot  after  me  to  Alongo,  and  called  out 
to  the  people  as  we  passed  through  the  little  native 
towns,  in  language  which  I  did  not  understand,  but 
suppose  meant,  '  Come  to  church ;'  at  any  rate,  a 
good  many  of  them  came. 

"  I  had  a  very  good  congregation,  composed  of 
the  boys  in  school  (I  preached  in  the  school-room) 
and  a  good  many  natives.  They  were  very  atten- 
tive, more  so  than  I  expected,  for  you  generally  see 
them  dropping  off  to  sleep  or  yawning,  or  talking 
or  going  out.  Ibia,  one  of  the  native  teachers, 
who  has  charge  of  the  Alongo  school,  was  my  in- 


118  GEORGE  PAULL. 

terpreter.  I  found  that  I  could  speak  witli  almost 
as  luucli  freedom  and  Marnitli  as  MJien  I  preach 
without  the  interruption  of  interpreting.  I  had  to 
make  my  sermon  quite  short,  as  they  soon  grow 
weary.  I  preached  on  '  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners.' 

"  When  I  started  away  on  my  pony  most  of  my 
congregation  (those  who  came  up  from  the  towns) 
came  trotting  after,  laughing  and  hallooing  to  see 
the  pony  carrying  a  man.  About  a  dozen  of  them 
followed  me  about  a  mile,  just  out  of  friendly 
curiosity  and  to  get  a  good  laugh.  Sometimes,  in  a 
narrow  place,  and  to  keep  from  being  caught  by 
the  tide,  I  had  to  put  the  pony  to  the  gallop,  but 
as  I  galloped  they  ran  and  kept  u[).  At  last  they 
all  went  back. 

"When  Mr.  Clemens  first  commenced  preaching 
at  Alongo,  he  would  tell  those  that  he  met  on  the 
beach  that  it  was  Sunday,  and  they  must  come  to 
church,  and  not  fish,  etc.  So,  after  that,  they  were 
afraid  to  let  him  see  them  fish  on  Sunday ;  and 
when  they  did  venture  to  do  it  (the  women  do  all 
the  fishing)  a  part  would  fish  while  the  rest  watched 
for  him,  and  if  they  saw  him  coming  they  would 
scamper  off,  crying  'Sunday  is  coming!  Sunday  is 
coming !'     Heathen  soil  is  hard  to  cultivate,  but  He 


GEORGE  PAULL.  119 

to  whom  belongs  the  seed  will  make  it  grow  sooner 
or  later,  and  I  will  sow  in  hope,  and  perhaps, 
sooner  than  we  anticipate,  the  harvest  will  come. 

"  I  went  down  to  Peter's  town  to-day,  in  hopes 
I  had  enough  words  to  talk  a  little  Benga  to  him; 
but  I  made  poor  work  of  it.  Peter  is  one  of  the 
head  men,  a  kind  of  patriarch  or  head  of  a  family, 
which  he  has  gathered  about  him  in  a  little  town. 
His  wives,  three  or  four  perhaps,  and  slaves  and 
children  and  younger  brothers  make  up  a  town  of 
perhaps  twenty  houses  ;  only  one  room  in  them,  of 
course.  They  are  set  about  an  equal  number  on 
each  side  of  a  street  which  is,  I  think,  fifty  yards 
Jong,  occupying  about  half  an  acre,  and  beyond 
this  limit  is  the  uncleared  bush  and  trees.  Be- 
tween their  houses  you  will  perhaps  see  some  plan- 
tain trees  growing,  and  an  occasional  duck  or 
chicken  or  goat  or  dog  straying  about.  Peter  is 
a  little,  short,  gray-haired  man,  with  a  pleasant 
face  and  a  warm  heart.  He  met  me  outside,  and 
led  me  into  his  cabin  by  the  hand  and  sat  me 
down  on  a  chair.  Presently  eight  or  ten  women 
came  to  the  door  to  see  '  Pauloo,'  and  said  '  Bolo,^ 
and  went  away.  He  called  in  his  little  children, 
nice  little  darkey  fellows,  clad  in  a  string  of  beads 
around   the  neck   and   two  or   three  brass  rings 


120  GEORGE  FAULL. 

around  the  ankles,  that  was  all.  The  little  fellows 
came  between  my  knees,  and  leaned  back  on  me 
very  confidingly,  which  would  not  have  been  dis- 
agreeable if  they  had  not  just  been  rolling  in  the 
sand  and  ashes.  Their  mode  of  blessing  any  one 
is  peculiar.  If  an  old  man  in  America  wishes  to 
show  his  kind  feelings  to  a  little  boy,  he  puts  his 
hands  on  his  head  and  says,  *God  bless  you,  my 
boy!'  If  an  old  African  in  like  manner  wishes  to 
show  his  kind  feelings  towards  any  little  fellow, 
he  takes  him  by  the  shoulders  and  sjylts  on  the  top 
of  his  head.  This  is  with  them  expressive  of  all 
possible  kindness. 

"I  visited  the  old  king,  Elepa,  one  day  last 
week.  He  is  an  amiable  old  man,  has  four  wives, 
and  seems  to  live  in  peace.  I  found  him  attired 
in  a  white  muslin  sheet  hanging  loosely  about  him, 
and  Avrajiped  around  his  waist,  extending  down  to 
his  feet.  He  also  wore  a  striped  cotton  cloth. 
"When  we  went  the  old  man  was  sitting  outside  the 
door  of  his  bamboo  rece])tion  house,  but,  without 
recognizing  us  when  we  approached  him,  he  imme- 
diately arose  and  went  in  to  the  back  part  of  the 
house  and  sat  down.  AA'e  followed  him  and  sat 
down  also  near  him.  He  then  reached  out  his 
hands   to   shake    hands  with   us,  expecting  us  of 


GEORGE  PAULL.  121 

course  to  get  up  and  go  to  him.  He  then  became 
very  talkative  and  entertaining.  His  head  wife 
was  lying  on  a  bamboo  lounge  beside  him,  asleep, 
so  he  waked  her  up,  and  seemed  a  little  chagrined 
at  her  being  asleep.  She  opened  her  eyes  and 
talked  to  us,  but  did  not  get  up.  His  legs  were 
loaded  with  brass  rings  from  the  ankle  almost  to 
the  knee. 

"  The  king's  house  was  only  a  single  room,  about 
twice  as  long  as  it  was  broad,  with  a  floor  of 
beaten  clay,  and  open  to  the  roof.  The  back  wall 
was  adorned  with  eight  dusty  pitchers,  of  two  or 
three  different  shapes  and  colors,  also  two  or  three 
earthenware  images,  portable  statues  of  Jack 
Spratt.  There  also  he  had  a  host  of  cheap  wood- 
cut pictures,  great  and  small,  but  all  highly 
colored,  also  looking-glasses,  framed,  and  hung  all 
around  the  walls.  These,  with  a  table,  two  or 
three  chairs,  and  some  bamboo  benches  or  lounges, 
completed  the  furniture.  About  the  centre  was  an 
upright  post,  which  supports  the  ridge-pole  of  the 
roof.  It  also  answered  another  purpose :  to  the 
bottom  of  it  was  attached  a  chain,  which  was  to 
secure  their  prisoners  of  war  and  witches.  The 
old  king  got  his  padlock  and  showed  us  how  to 
secure  them. 


122  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"June  8. — It  lias  been  some  clays  since  I  had  my 
pen  in  hand.  My  attack  of  fever  returned  again 
on  the  seventh  day,  and  so  I  was  laid  aside.  Part 
of  the  time  I  had  a  very  hot  fever,  but  for  the 
greater  part  no  especial  sickness,  only  a  feeling  of 
intense  Aveariness,  and  inability  to  do  anything, 
with  pains  in  back,  limbs  and  head.  The  remedy 
is  quinine,  of  which  I  have  taken  a  great  quantity. 
It  seems  strange  that  this  land,  which  is  as  the 
garden  of  the  earth  for  beauty  and  for  its  delight- 
ful climate,  should  have  an  atmosphere  so  full  of 
deadly  poison.  In  all  my  life  I  have  never  been 
in  so  delightful  a  climate,  and  the  pleasantest  sea- 
son is  just  beginning  to  como.  The  air  is  always 
bracing ;  I  have  never  yet  felt  it  in  the  least  oppres- 
sive. At  night  I  find  it  very  comfortable  under  a 
blanket.  I  do  not  think  the  sun  is  nearly  so  hot  as 
at  home,  and  we  have  double  the  quantity  of  cool, 
bracing  air.  Fruits  we  have  in  great  plenty,  many 
of  which  I  have  mentioned  already. 

"  Everything  moves  along  very  pleasantly  since 
Mr.  Mackey's  absence.  Mrs.  Mackey  is  a  noble 
woman,  very  quiet,  but  keeps  things  moving  like 
clock-work.  Monday  last  was  settlement  day ;  we 
settle  and  square  up  with  all  employed  once  every 
four  weeks.     They  are  all  greatly  disposed  to  get 


GEORGE  PAULL.  123 

their  pay  before  they  do  the  work,  so  that  I  have 
to  hokl  some  of  them  back  a  little. 

"  On  Sabbath  I  went  up  and  preached  at  Alongo. 
I  did  not  have  a  very  large  congregation,  nor  do 
they  ever  turn  out  well  unless  you  go  round  before- 
hand and  tell  them  to  come,  and  then  very  often 
they  say  *  Yes,'  but  have  no  intention  of  coming. 
After  preaching  at  Alongo,  I  stopped  on  my  way 
back  at  Nqume's  town  and  preached  there.  Nqume 
is  the  head  man — an  old  blind  heathen.  He  said 
Mr.  Clemens  had  been  his  friend.  I  told  him  I 
wanted  him  to  be  my  friend  also,  and  the  old  man 
held  on  to  my  hand  with  a  long  and  warm  grasp. 
I  told  him  I  Avanted  to  preach  for  him,  and  soon 
all  the  people  of  the  town  that  were  about  came 
together  in  his  house — about  twenty  in  all.  They 
squatted  down  on  stools  and  wherever  they  could 
find  a  seat,  and  then  Uhamba  (the  young  man  who 
interpreted  for  me)  and  I  sang  a  hymn.  They 
were  generally  pretty  quiet,  while  I  preached  of 
'  Christ  coming  into  the  Avorld  to  save  sinners.' 
Sometimes  a  woman,  who  did  not  know,  perhaps, 
that  she  ought  to  keep  quiet,  would  say  something 
out  loud  ;  the  rest  would  cry  to  her  to  '  hush,'  and 
we  would  have  silence  immediately.  The  wife  of 
Nqume,  who  is  a  nice  woman,  attentive  and  serious 


124  GEORGE  PA  ULL. 

looking,  said  tliat  once  she  tried  to  be  a  Christian, 
but  not  hitely.  I  asked  them  all  to  come  up  to 
Alongo  next  Sabbath ;  they  said  they  would,  but  I 
must  come  that  way  and  let  them  know  when  it 
was  Sabbath,  which  I  willingly  agreed  to  do. 
There  are,  I  suppose,  thirty  or  forty  such  little 
towns  on  the  island,  in  most  of  which  the  mis- 
sionaries have  preached.  Ah  !  if  the  Spirit  would 
only  come  and  open  these  dark  minds  and  make 
the  truth  powerful,  we  should  see  disj)lays  of  the 
glory  of  God  that  would  make  our  hearts  rejoioe ! 
Never  can  they  be  moved  from  this  spiritual  death 
until  the  Spirit  of  God  shall  do  it  in  answer  to 
ferv^ent  prayers  here  and  at  home. 

"Yesterday  was  the  day  for  giving  out  supplies 
to  the  mission,  and  you  would  scarcely  suppose  that 
our  supplies  here  in  Africa  were  the  same  as  yours 
at  home — flour,  butter,  rice,  corn-starch,  hams,  ker- 
osene oil,  etc.  Attending  to  this  gives  me  quite  a 
little  bit  of  merchandising  on  Monday,  and  affords 
me  exercise  and  diversion. 

"  I  saw  a  beautiful  flock  of  sheep  at  Alongo ; 
Mr.  Mackey  has  some  here  also,  but  you  would 
scarcely  take  them  for  sheep  in  America.  They 
are  real  sheep,  however,  except  the  wool,  of  which 
they  have  not  a  particle,  but  instead  they  have  a 


GEORCrS^PAULL.  125 

beautiful,  glossy  coat  of  hair.  Their  skins  look 
exactly  like  the  skin  of  a  young  calf,  and  they  are 
of  every  color — red,  black  and  spotted.  They  would 
be  a  novelty  in  America. 

"  Thursday,  June  16. — This  evening  I  had  prom- 
ised Andiki,  the  native  teacher  who  has  charge  of 
the  school  at  Ugobi,  to  come  up  and  preach  there, 
so  I  mounted  our  pony  at  dusk  and  paced  up  along 
the  beautiful  white  sandy  beach  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  to  the  place.  The  ride  was  delightful,  espe- 
cially coming  back,  as  it  was  a  beautiful  moonlight 
night,  and  the  breeze  was  blowing  fresh  and  balmy 
from  the  sea,  and  the  tide  was  far  out,  which  left  a 
broad  white  beach.  As  I  told  you,  there  are  no 
roads  on  the  island  except  narrow  footpaths,  so 
that  the  only  road  is  along  the  beach,  and  indeed 
there  is  no  other  needed,  for  all  the  little  towns 
are  built  around  the  island  near  to  the  beach.  As 
I  got  up  before  the  time,  I  took  a  walk  through 
one  or  two  of  the  towns  near  by.  The  men  and 
women  were  sitting  about  the  doors  of  their  cabins, 
and  although  I  do  not  know  that  I  had  ever  seen 
any  of  them  before,  almost  all  came  to  shake  hands 
with  me,  saying  '  Bolo,  Pauloo.'  As  I  had  picked 
up  a  little  of  their  language,  I  told  them  all  to 
come  to  church,  which  they  said  they  would  do. 


126  QEORGE  PAULL. 

"At  the  usual  hour  Andiki  rang  his  boll,  and 
quite  a  little  congregation  gathered,  forty  or  filty 
in  all;  three  of  the  women  were  professors  of  re- 
ligion, and  some  others  had  been.  They  were  very 
attentive  while  I  preached.  I  preached  to  them 
about  the  value  of  their  souls,  and  their  awful  state 
when  lost,  and  tried  to  jioint  out  the  way  to  save 
them.  I  expect  to  commence  preaching  next  week 
around  through  their  towns — it  is  not  enou<>;h  to 
preach  only  on  the  Sabbath.  I  pray  that  God 
may  give  me  a  terrible  earnestness  in  my  work 
here.  I  have  been  feeling,  myself,  most  deeply, 
the  truths  that  I  preach  to  them  about  the  soul, 
and  I  hope  and  pray  that  multitudes  of  them  may 
be  saved  from  a  dreadful  hell.  It  seems  unac- 
countable to  me,  sometimes,  that  we  can  rest  in 
peace  for  a  moment,  until  we  are  sure  that  wc  and 
our  friends  have  made  sure  work  of  our  escape 
from  the  dreadful  miseries  of  hell.  Well  assured 
am  I,  as  that  the  sun  shines,  that  all  these  terrible 
declarations  in  the  Bible  are  true,  and  yet  who 
would  susj)cct,  from  the  way  in  which  wc  live, 
tliat  we  believed  them?  It  is  no  easy  matter  to 
escape  the  flames.  If  our  religion  sits  easy 
upon  us,  and  our  sins  never  trouble  us,  surely 
it  is  time  to  be  alarmed." 


GEORGE  PAULL.  127 

In  his  journal  of  June  25  Mr.  Paull  writes : 
''  Press  on  to  the  kingdom — no  looking  back 
here — press  right  on,  with  courage  firm  and  strong. 
Cut  off  the  things  that  are  behind ;  they  are  no 
longer  ours;  you  have  solemnly  disowned  them. 
Keach  forth  to  the  things  that  are  before;  they 
shall  be  your  inheritance.  You  are  a  'pilgrim 
and  stranger.'  Now,  this  land  is  not  yours ;  you 
have  no  interest  in  it,  nor  in  things  about  you ;  you 
are  hurrying  through,  only  tarrying  for  the  night; 
to-morrow  you  journey  on  again.  Be  convinced 
of  your  '  pilgrim  character,'  let  it  sink  into  your 
heart,  'say  it'  in  all  your  life;  for  they  that  say 
such  things  declare  plainly  that  they  seek  a  coun- 
try— that  they  are  pressing  on  hard  after  it,  care- 
less of  all  that  is  behind,  'unmindful  of  the  coun- 
try whence  they  came  out.' 

"  There  can  be  no  such  thing  as  earnest  pressing 
on  to  the  kingdom  while  our  eyes  are  turned  back- 
ward :  they  must  be  tlioroughly  and  eagerly  fixed 
on  the  kingdom  to  which  we  move.  Lot's  wife 
was  fleeing  to  the  mountains,  while  her  eyes  and 
her  heart  were  yearning  for  Sodom;  this  was  no 
escaping  from  destruction,  this  was  '  staying  in 
Sodom ;'  and  she  perished  by  the  way.  As  tlie 
plough  moves,   our   hands   must   be   upon   it,  and 


128  OEORGE  PAULL. 

our  oycs  and  our  thoughts  must  go  with  it;  if 
not,  theu  we  are  not  fit  for  the  work,  and  our  life 
is  a  lie.  'No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the 
plough  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom 
of  God.'  O  Saviour !  how  shall  we  ever  reach 
thy  kingdom,  unless  thou  wilt  knit  our  souls  to 
thine,  unless  thou  wilt  lift  up  our  whole  beings,  and 
centre  them  intensely  upon  thyself?" 

Here  we  see  the  workings  of  Mr.  Paull's  inner 
life,  how  ardently  he  desired  entire  consecration  to 
Ciirist  and  his  service.  No  wonder  that  one  whose 
heart  burned  with  such  longings  for  complete  con- 
secration to  his  work  should  be  willing  to  encoun- 
ter perils  by  sea  and  by  land  to  repeat  the  story  of 
the  cross  to  the  perishing  in  Africa. 

Under  the  same  date  he  writes  to  his  sister  : 
"About  a  week  since  we  despatched  our  mails, 
and  already  I  have  begun  to  write  again  for  the 
next.  This  is  to  save  me  the  perplexity  of  crowd- 
ing all  ray  letter- writing  together  at  the  last. 
And  then,  too,  every  day  as  it  glides  along  may 
have  some  little  incidents  which,  if  not  gathered 
up  as  they  pass,  will  be  pressed  aside  by  others  and 
forgotten.  But  you  will  not  look  for  much  variety 
now,  as,  instead  of  being  tossed  on  the  tide,  I  am 
becoming  settled  in  life,  and  my  duties  and  diver- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  129 

sious  are  gradually  falling  into  their  daily  regular 
round.  Almost  the  only  changes,  too,  one  feels  called 
on  to  note  in  so  small  and  unimportant  a  world  as 
ours  is  here,  are  his  own  ever-varying  moods 
within,  or  the  success  or  failure  of  his  plans  with  ref- 
erence to  others  without.  These,  while  they  are  al- 
ways fraught  with  absorbing  interest  to  himself,  are 
generally  of  but  little  importance  to  others.  But 
I  will  always  write,  taking  it  for  granted  that  what 
I  write  will  be  at  least  of  some  interest  at  home. 
I  begin  to  see  now  how  it  is  that,  of  all  things  for 
a  man,  solitude  is  sometimes  the  best.  When  he  is 
cut  off  from  the  world  without,  he  begins  to  explore 
more  diligently  and  to  become  better  acquainted  with 
the  world  within.  He  begins  to  find  that  there  is  a 
vast  unknown  there,  filled  with  mysteries  of  which 
he  had  never  dreamed.  If  a  man  is  driven  to 
look  much  within,  he  will  see  strange  sights  and 
hear  strange  sounds,  and  shrink  away  from  behold- 
ing many  a  gloomy,  fearful  picture.  His  life,  too, 
may  become  a  strange  mixture  of  gloom  and  glad- 
ness, and  continual  interchanging  of  sunlight  and 
shadow.  But  all  this  would  be  to  any  man  a  rich 
and  royal  blessing,  a  princely  gift  at  the  hands  of 
God,  tending  to  make    one  M'iser  and   purer   and 

truer.     Natures  such  as  ours  can  never  be  cleansed 
9 


130  GEORGE  PAULL. 

from  their  dross  without  passing  through  some  sort 
of  fire. 

"  Jane  28. — One  part  of  a  day  since  I  hist  wrote 
I  spent  pleasantly  reading,  etc.,  down  in  a  little 
rocky  cave  by  the  sea  amid  the  incessant  roar  of 
the  waves  and  dashing  of  the  spray.  I  love  to  sit 
there  in  my  leisure  hours  and  read  and  think 
while  all  is  so  secluded  and  quiet — no  noise  save 
the  thunder  of  the  surf  as  it  breaks  on  the  shore. 
Occasionally  I  lift  up  my  eyes  in  this  quiet  nook 
(it  faces  the  sun),  and  look  away  to  the  westward, 
trying  to  arrange  in  my  mind  a  ])icture  of  things 
as  they  may  be  at  home. 

"  Most  of  my  days,  however,  I  spend  in  my  bam- 
boo house,  studying,  reading,  writing,  etc.,  or,  when 
not  doing  that,  attending  to  the  business  of  the 
mission,  which  occasionally  takes  several  hours  of 
the  day.  This  morning,  for  instance,  I  spent  send- 
ing off  a  big  boat  to  Iloby — an  island  near  where 
some  traders  have  their  factories — loaded  with 
twenty-five  pine  chests,  which  the  boys  working  in 
the  shops  had  made.  These  chests  we  exchange 
with  the  traders  for  supplies,  and  they  sell  them 
to  the  natives. 

"  One  day  last  week  I  got  on  the  pony  (Charley), 
and  taking  Uhamba,  went  away  four  or  five  miles 


GEORGE  PAULL.  131 

off  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  to  visit  some- 
towns  that  belong  to  my  charge  at  Alongo.  I  was 
at  five  or  six  towns,  and  preached  at  one  and  in- 
vited all  of  the  people  to  come  to  church,  which 
they  said  they  would  do.  But,  unfortunately,  they 
think  it  but  little  harm  to  tell  a  lie,  and  so,  when 
Sabbath  came,  they  had  forgotten  their  promise.  I 
do  not  think  they  can  be  reached  without  going  to 
their  towns  and  preaching  to  them  there,  and  I  in- 
tend to  do  this,  though  I  believe  it  has  not  been 
customary.  The  people  were  all  glad  to  see  me, 
and  the  women  clattered  away  with  their  tongues, 
each  seeming  to  try  who  could  speak  the  loudest. 
Many  said,  '  He  is  like  Mr.  Clemens ;'  and  then 
their  usual  message  was  that  they  wanted  me  to  be 
good  to  them.  At  one  of  the  towns  about  a  dozen 
of  the  men  and  women  followed  me  down  to  the 
beach,  and  told  Uhamba  that  they  wanted  me  to  let 
them  see  Charley  run ;  so  I  gave  him  a  little  gallop, 
and  they  stood  and  watched,  as  much  pleased  as 
children  with  Charley's  uimbleness. 

"  This  was  a  very  pleasant  day's  ride  to  me,  both 
on  account  of  seeing  the  people  and  some  parts  of 
the  island  that  I  had  not  seen  before.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  pretty  little  squirrels  crossed  my  path,  some- 
thing like  our  ground-squirrels,  but  a  little  larger; 


132  GEORGE  PAULL. 

also  some  beautiful  birds  of  a  deep  rich  blue  color, 
and  one  African  dove  which  was  beautiful  in  shape 
and  size  and  gentleness  of  appearance,  like  our  own, 
but  of  a  darker  color  on  the  back,  with  the  under 
part  of  its  neck  and  breast  white.  About  most  of 
the  towns  I  see  a  little  flock  of  goats  and  of  hairy, 
6j)otted  sheep.  The  children  know  Charley  all 
over  the  island,  and  often  the  first  noise  that  I 
would  hear  on  coming  near  a  town  would  be  from 
some  of  the  children  that  had  caught  a  glimpse 
of  him,  with  their  noisy  greeting,  '  Oh,  Charley ! 
Oh,  Charley !' 

"  I  had  my  sermon  already  prepared  for  preach- 
ing at  Alongo  on  the  next  day  (this  was  Saturday) ; 
but  as  I  rode  along,  that  text,  '  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,'  etc.,  came 
into  my  mind  so  fully,  and  with  such  comfort  to 
myself,  that  I  determined  to  take  it,  and  prepared 
a  sermon  and  came  home  and  preached  it  the  next 
day.  Uhamba,  who  is  a  member  of  the  church, 
interprets  for  me  when  I  preach.  My  other  inter- 
preter is  a  suspended  church  member,  and  has  been 
guilty  of  several  grievous  sins ;  so  that  I  do  not 
think  it  is  right,  either  for  his  sake  or  the  gospel's, 
to  allow  him  to  meddle  with  so  sacred  a  business. 
He  says,  however,  that  he  is  praying  and  wishes  to 


GEORGE  FAULL.  133 

repent  and  return  to  his  profession.  I  hope  he  is 
sincere. 

"  Uhamba  is  a  very  decent  fellow,  and  wears 
a  clean  shirt  and  a  pair  of  pants,  which  is  full 
dress;  but  when  he  came  on  Sabbath  morning 
to  go  with  me,  I  noticed  that  he  had  on  a  filthy 
shirt  that  he  had  worked  in  a  week,  perhaps, 
and  a  dirty  piece  of  gingham  wrapped  about  him, 
reachino;  from  his  waist  to  his  feet.  I  thought  it 
very  strange,  but  found  that  a  friend  of  his  had 
died  the  night  before,  and  that  this  is  the  African 
badge  of  mourning — to  go  as  dirty  as  you  possibly 
can. 

"  I  had  a  good  congregation  at  Alongo,  though  not 
the  tenth  of  those  that  promised  to  come.  I  had  a 
great  deal  of  freedom  in  preaching.  On  my  way  back 
I  preached  at  Iduma's  town.  He  is  one  of  the  rich, 
men  on  the  island,  and  has  about  twenty  wives.  I 
preached  to  him  and  most  of  his  wives  with  all  the 
earnestness  and  solemnity  that  I  had,  and  I  trust 
they  felt  some  of  the  truths  that  were  spoken. 
They  seemed  very  solemn  and  attentive.  I  have  a 
confident  expectation  of  seeing  many  of  these  dark 
children  of  sin  yet  coming  to  Christ,  and  the  tli(  ught 
greatly  encourages  me,  for  it  is  God's  work  and 
his  arm  is  not  shortened,  and    he    has    biilden   us 


134  GEORGE  PAULL. 

pray  and  wait  and  expect  a  Messing;  and  if  we 
do  these  things,  why  shoidd  we  not  expect  it,  not 
timklly,  hwt firmly  f 

Here  is  a  letter  of  Mr.  Paull's  to  his  younger 
brother  which  will  give  some  idea  of  Africa  and 
of  heathen  life : 

"  CoRisco,  June  30,  1804. 
"I  have  been  looking  for  a  letter  from  you  tell- 
ing me  that  you  have  been  studying  hard  all  win- 
ter and  were  anxious  to  be  at  it  again,  and  that 
you  were  determined  to  be  a  fine  scholar  and  a 
noble  and  good  man.  I  know  that  you  do  study 
well  and  faithfully,  and  it  has  made  me  proud  of 
you  and  given  me  high  hopes  that  I  shall  one  day 
be  prouder  yet  of  what  you  will  be  and  do.  You 
will  not  let  me  be  disappointed.  You  must  settle 
it  first  of  all  in  your  mind,  if  you  wish  to  become 
a  true  and  noble  man,  that  you  will  not  be  ashamed 
to  be  good,  even  if  every  one  around  you  laughs 
and  sneers.  You  are  not  to  care  for  what  any  one 
says,  if  you  know  that  you  are  doing  right,  any 
more  than  you  care  for  the  bark  of  a  dog.  Deter- 
mine, then,  in  your  own  mind,  noui,  that  you  will 
be  kind  to  everybody,  and  that  you  will  try  to  love 
everybody  and  do  everybody  some  good,  even  if 
it  puts  you  to  inconvenience;  that  you  will  neither 


GEORGE  PAULL.  135 

do  nor  think  anything  under  any  consideration 
that  you  know  to  be  wrong;  that  nobody  shall 
make  you  ashamed  to  read  the  Bible  often,  and  to 
pray  often,  and  to  think  often  about  God.  If  you 
do  these  things,  you  will  become  a  true  and  a  noble 
man,  and  I  do  sincerely  pray  that  you  may  never 
be  anything  else ;  and  so  you  must  begin  now.  Go 
eveiy  day  to  some  quiet  place,  and  there  kneel 
down  and  solemnly  give  your  heart  to  God  and 
ask  him  to  come  and  make  it  his  home.  You  and 
Jim  are  daily  in  my  thoughts  and  also  in  my  pray- 
ers, and  I  hope  that  you  do  not  forget  to  pray  for 
me  also. 

"Yesterday  I  had  a  little  trip  that  I  suppose 
would  have  interested  and  delighted  you,  if  you 
had  been  here.  In  the  morning  Dr.  Nassau  came 
to  my  study  and  said  that  he  and  Mrs.  M'Queen 
and  the  schoolgirls  (for  it  was  vacation)  were  going 
round  to  the  other  side  of  the  island  in  the  after- 
noon to  gather  'shells,  and  asked  me  to  go  along. 
So  we  started  about  1  o'clock,  the  doctor  on  foot, 
for  he  })refers  walking,  Mrs.  M'Queen  in  a  ham- 
mock slung  by  a  pole  lying  across  two  men's 
shoulders :  this  is  a  very  common  way  of  trav- 
eling in  Africa;  I  went  on  Charley.  He  and  I 
have  become  quite  close  friends,  and  we  generally 


136  GEORGE  PAULL. 

go  together.  He  is  an  affectionate  little  fellow,  but 
sometimes  I  have  to  box  his  ears  for  biting  tnc,  as 
he  loves  to  nip  everybody  that  conies  in  his  way, 
and  scarcely  one  of  the  natives  will  go  within  a 
rod  of  him.  We  went  along  the  beach  until  we 
came  to  Ugobi,  and  then  we  took  one  of  the  native 
footpaths  that  run  through  the  bush  across  the 
island.  After  winding  along  the  path  for  a  while 
and  crossing  a  marshy  creek  or  two,  suddenly  we 
came  on  to  the  most  refreshing  spot  I  have  seen  in 
Africa.  It  was  a  long,  narrow  meadow,  level  as  a 
floor  and  covered  with  green  grass.  It  Mas  about 
a  mile  long  and  from  about  one  hundred  to  three 
hundred  yards  wide.  Beautiful  palms  and  other 
trees  lined  it  all  along  on  either  side.  As  we  rode 
through  it  I  almost  fancied  that  the  next  turn  would 
bring  us  to  some  beautiful  dwelling  with  all  the 
accompaniments  of  civilized  life,  for  this  little 
meadow  has  such  a  thoroughly  civilized  appear- 
ance in  comparison  with  the  wild  bush  that  is 
around  us  everywhere  else.  When  we  got  to  the 
end  of  the  meadow,  we  came  again  upon  the  sea- 
shore, at  the  spot  to  which  Ave  were  going,  and  a  beau- 
tiful, broad,  white  sandy  beach  it  was.  From  it  Ave 
could  see  the  mainland  and  Ilobyand  another  little 
island.     While  we  gathered  sea-shells,  which  lay 


GEORGE  PAULL.  137 

thick  along  the  shore,  scores  of  parrots  flew  scream- 
ing over  our  lieads,  and  occasionally  a  large  eagle 
Avouhl  swoop  down  and  sail  just  a  little  bit  over 
our  heads,  while  cranes  and  gulls  and  other  sea- 
birds  waded  about  in  the  edge  of  the  water  or 
sailed  around  in  the  air  above  us.  After  spending 
an  hour  or  two  and  gathering  a  good  many  shells, 
we  came  back  a  good  deal  wearied.  The  shells 
that  the  girls  gathered  Mrs.  M'Queen  gave  me  to 
increase  my  stock,  and  you  may  perhaps  see  some 
of  them  one  day. 

'*  We  have  a  few  white  men  come  to  see  us  occa- 
sionally, and  they  all  like  to  come  here,  for  there 
is  scarcely  any  place  along  the  coast  that  looks  so 
homelike  and  comfortable,  and  when  there  are 
any  sick  men  at  Iloby  or  on  any  vessels  that  come 
about  here,  they  are  generally  sent  to  Corisco  for 
Mr.  Mackey  and  Dr.  Nassau  to  cure  up.  We  had 
three  or  four  visitors  from  Iloby  the  other  day : 
they  took  dinner  and  went  away  again.  One  was 
young  Watson,  who  came  out  with  me  in  the  El- 
giva ;  another  was  a  Dutch  captain  by  the  name  of 
Henert  —  quite  a  pleasant  fellow.  He  told  an 
anecdote  of  one  of  our  Corisco  black  men  that  he 
had  seen  somewhere  to  show  how  they  make  mis- 
takes sometimes.     Peter  (the  black  man)  is  au  old 


138  GEORGE  PAULL. 

man,  and  has  a  son  called  Bobe.  Bobe  had  been 
away  somewhere;  and  supposing  Captain  Henert 
might  have  seen  him  or  known  something  about 
him,  the  old  man  said,  '  Did  you  see  my  father, 
Bobe?'  'Why,'  said  Captain  Henert,  'you  are 
an  old  man  and  Bobe  is  a  young  man ;  Bobe  can- 
not be  your  father:  he  must  be  your  son.'  'Oh 
yes,'  said  the  old  man  ;  '  well,  now  I  think  that  is 
it — yes,  he  my  son  Bobe.'  This,  however,  is  only 
a  mistake  of  the  poor  old  heathen  :  there  is  no  harm 
in  that;  and  perhaps  there  is  nothing  wrong  in 
being  amused  at  it.  But  there  are  some  things 
said  and  done  by  the  heathen  that  bring  no  pleas- 
ant feelings — drive  away  everything,  indeed,  but 
grief  and  sorrow. 

"I  told  you  some  time  ago  of- two  or  three  per- 
S(ms  on  the  island  who  had  been  killed  under  sus- 
picion of  having  bewitched  some  man  that  had 
died.  Now  there  is  another  old  man  about  to  die 
who  has  asked  the  peo])le,  in  case  he  dies,  to  kill 
some  one  on  suspicion  of  having  bewitched  him. 
This  is  the  father  of  Andiki,  one  of  the  native 
l)reachcrs.  And  yesterday,  too,  although  it  is 
almost  too  revolting  to  speak  of,  a  man  tiiat  lives 
right  by  here  came  to  the  house  and  asked  Mrs. 
Mackey   for  some  poison   to  give   to   his   mother. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  139 

He  said  she  had  been  sick  a  long  time  and  would 
not  get  well,  and  that  he  had  to  stay  at  home  and 
take  care  of  her,  and  he  did  not  want  to  be  so 
closely  confined,  but  wanted  to  get  away.  Dr. 
Nassau  saw  him  afterward  and  talked  to  him, 
but  he  said  that  he  did  not  know  that  that  was 
anything  the  white  man  thought  wrong.  So  you 
see  how  pitiable  a  thing  it  is  to  be  a  heathen. 
They  have  no  government  here,  no  laws,  no 
courts  to  try  and  sentence  criminals,  no  officers 
to  punish  them.  Every  man  does  as  he  pleases, 
and  they  indulge  in  almost  every  sin  and  commit 
almost  every  crime.  Do  yon  think  you  could 
spend  your  life  in  any  more  useful  way  than  by 
coming  out  here,  after  a  while,  to  teach  these  poor 
people  how  to  live  and  how  to  die?  Keep  this 
object  before  you  while  you  study,  and  ask  God  to 
make  you  fit  to  tell  these  people,  who  are  so  mis- 
erable, how  they  may  be  happy.  This  would  be 
far  better  and  make  you  far  happier  than  living  a 
life  of  sin,  or  a  life  of  pleasure,  or  spending  your 
life  in  making  money.  I  want  you  and  Jim  both 
to  be  missionaries.  Think  of  it  often,  and  settle  it 
in  your  minds  that,  if  God  M'ill  send  you,  you  will 
go,  I  know  of  no  way  in  which  you  could  do 
more  good." 


140  GEORGE  PAULL. 

Mr.  PauU's  next  letter  was  to  his  father,  and, 
Mritten  on  the  anniversary  of  our  national  inde- 
pendence, it  contains  a  few  thoughts  in  reference 
to  that  memorable  event. 

"CoRisco,  July  4,  1S64. 

"  I  do  not  remember  certainly  that  I  have 
written  to  you  individually  since  I  left  Scotland. 
My  letters  heretofore  have  been  in  journal  form, 
and  rather  intended  for  all  than  for  any  one  in 
particular,  and  even  yet  I  think  I  will  jot  down 
things  usually  in  the  same  way,  just  as  they 
happen,  or  as  thoughts  occur  to  me;  but  this  tinie 
I  have  departed  from  my  ordinary  plan. 

"  The  4th  of  July  calls  up  many  recollections 
that  are  pleasant  and  many  faces  that  are  familiar, 
and  my  fluicy  carries  me  to  where  I  seem  to  see 
you  all  honoring  the  day,  perhaps  by  some  social 
reunion,  it  may  be  a  family  'pic-nic,'  or  joining  in 
some  more  ])ublic  celebration.  Here  it  passes 
away  as  other  days,  save  that  we  each  one  remem- 
ber it,  and  take  pride  in  it  as  a  day  of  gladness  at 
home,  but  otherwise  there  is  nothing  outward  to 
mark  it.  I  have  spent  most  of  the  day  in  attend- 
ing to  the  business  of  the  station,  settling  up  with 
the  men  cnijiloycd,  which  is  done  monthly,  giving 
out  supplies  from  the  storehouse,  having  our  boats 


GEORGE  PAULL.  141 

painted,  etc.  I  usually  give  Mondays  to  the  bus- 
iness of  the  station,  and  an  hour  on  other  days, 
when  it  is  necessary.  Dr.  Nassau  has  even  con- 
siderably more  business  than  I  have  of  this  kind. 
We  were  also  at  the  funeral  of  an  old  headman 
to-day  who  was  buried  in  our  graveyard  because 
of  his  son's  having  been  connected  with  the  mis- 
sion ;  he  was  still  a  heathen,  however.  We  did 
not  allow  any  of  the  heathen  ceremonies  at  the 
grave,  but  Dr.  Xassau  prayed  and  made  a  short 
address. 

"  We  have  been  on  the  anxious  lookout  all  day 
for  the  mail,  as  this  was  the  day  on  which  we  cer- 
tainly expected  it,  but  there  is  no  sign  of  it  yet, 
and  we  begin  to  give  up  all  hope  until  to-morrow 
or  next  day.  This  is  one  of  our  greatest  disap- 
pointments here,  when  the  mail  fails  us  at  the  time 
when  we  expect  it. 

"Yesterday  I  sat  down  for  the  first  time  with 
the  native  Christians  here  as  they  gathered  around 
the  table  of  the  Lord.  There  were  not  very  many 
of  them,  perhaps  twenty  in  all,  and  three  of  them 
were  coming  for  the  first  time;  once  there  were 
many  more,  but,  alas !  one  and  another  has  turned 
away  into  sin ;  and  this  is  the  saddest  part  of  all 
the  missionary  work,  to  see  the  devil  lead  captive 


142  GEORGE  PAULL. 

and  triumph  over  tliose  ^vho  once  seemed  to  be  free 
from  his  fetters.  At  the  communion  seasons,  which 
occur  every  three  months,  all  of  the  members,  both 
on  the  island  and  at  the  stations  on  the  mainland, 
are  expected  to  be  present,  and  tlie  whole  number, 
I  think,  is  near  seventy.  But  many  of  them  for 
various  reasons  were  kept  away  this  time.  Dr. 
Nassau  conducted  the  services ;  I  preached  the  pre- 
paratory sermon  on  the  day  before.  I  do  not  see 
any  special  features  of  encouragement  in  the  work 
here  now — indeed,  several  things  almost  make  it 
have  a  gloomy  aspect,  especially  the  fewness  of  our 
numbers  in  the  mission,  the  falling  away  of  some 
of  the  native  members  and  a  general  coldness  and 
indifference  on  the  part  of  most,  though  I  have 
sometimes,  when  hope  was  buoyant,  been  tempted 
to  look  on  these  things  as  almost  encouraging,  for 
God  generally  chooses  a  time  to  work  when  the 
glory  will  be  manifestly  all  due  to  himself.  It 
seems  to  be  such  a  time  now,  for  if  light  and  life 
and  strength  spring  up  out  of  this  darkness  and 
death  and  weakness,  all  must  surely  fill  their 
mouths  with  songs  of  praise  and  say,  '  It  is  of 
the  Lord;  to  him  alone  be  all  the  glory  for  ever. 
Amen.' 

"Tuesday,   5th.  —  This   afternoon  I  spent  very 


GEORGE  PAULL.  143 

pleasantly  among  my  Alongo  people.  After  rid- 
ing about  three  and  a  half  miles  I  stopped  at 
one  of  the  little  towns  and  talked  with  the  people, 
telling  them  that  I  would  preach  for  them  if  they 
would  call  in  some  more  people  from  one  or  two 
towns  near  by,  which  they  did,  and  I  had  a  very 
nice  little  congregation.  They  were  very  attentive 
to  all  I  said  to  them  of  '  God's  love  in  sending  his 
Son  to  die  for  sinners  lost  and  wretched.'  Some  of 
them  listened  with  most  fixed  attention.  I  noticed 
a  great  talking  among  them  after  preaching,  and 
Uliamba  told  me  they  were  saying,  'That  was  a 
true  word  that  was  told  them.'  This  evening  the 
mail  came  that  we  had  been  so  anxiously  looking 
for,  and  we  opened  it  with  eager  hands  to  get  at 
the  precious  contents  of  news  from  home  and 
friends,  for  so  far  as  earthly  pleasures  are  con- 
cerned here,  our  letters  from  home  are  the 
greatest. 

"I  begin  to  feel  entirely  at  home  in  Africa  now, 
and  am  altogether  contented  and  happy  in  the 
work.  My  health  is  very  good,  and,  so  far  as  we 
can  judge,  my  constitution  promises  to  be  of  the 
kind  that  may  bear  the  climate  well.  I  shall  heart- 
ily rejoice  if  this  be  so.  I  believe  that  God  has 
sent  me  here,  and  I  hope  for  good.     If  he  is  my 


144  GEORGE  PAULL. 

guide,  I  shall  be  safe ;  and  I  desire  to  be  done  for 
ever  with  attempting  to  direct  my  own  steps,  as  I 
fear  I  have  sometimes  done  in  the  time  that  is 
past. 

"  I  am  collecting  some  little  African  curiosities, 
which  I  M'ill  send  home,  as  they  will  be  of  some 
interest  to  you  all.  Among  other  thijigs  I  have 
some  brass  and  co])per  ankle-rings  and  some  beads 
which  I  bought  from  an  African  princess.  Mrs. 
M'Queen  was  down  at  Mrs.  Mackey's  to  sit  a  while 
this  evening,  and  says  she  has  discovered  that  I 
have  a  namesake  on  the  island.  Some  heathen 
mother  that  I  have  never  seen  has  called  her  baby 
after  me ;  '  Pauloo '  is  its  name — that  is,  its  English 
name.  Its  native  name  is  Ubengi,  after  the  in- 
terpreter; he,  I  believe,  is  its  uncle.  Mrs. 
]\I'Queeu  has  been  down  pretty  often  to  give  Mrs. 
Mackcy  a  word  of  cheer  in  her  loneliness,  and  it 
is  well.  I  have  a  great  respect  for  Mrs.  Mackey. 
She  is  calm  and  even-tempered.  Grace  in  her 
seems  to  shine  out  clearly  as  it  is  gradually  ripen- 
ing her  for  glory.  Her  lamp,  I  think,  is  always 
trimmed  and  burning.  There  is  nothing  on  earth 
so  beautiful  as  a  character  mellowed  by  grace  until 
it  seems  almost  divine. 

"July  15. — We  have  had  a  young  Scotch  trader 


GEORGE  PAULL.  145 

here  from  Iloby  for  several  tlays.  He  came  over 
sick,  but  has  gone  away  to-day  quite  well  again. 
This  is  a  hospital  for  all  the  sick  sailors  and 
traders  in  the  ncighljorhood ;  they  come  here  to 
be  cured  up.  I  was  around  to-day  on  another 
missionary  tour  beyond  Alongo.  I  only  had  time 
to  preach  in  one  town ;  started  after  dinner,  and 
reached  home  again  about  six  o'clock.  It  was  a  long 
walk  for  U/iamba — seven  or  eight  miles — but  he 
seemed  just  as  fresh  when  we  came  back  as  when 
we  started. 

"  The  church  at  home  is  growing  fast,  I  hope, 
under  Mr.  Fife's  care.  I  trust  he  may  be  blessed 
greatly,  and  I  see  not  why  there  as  well  as  else- 
where (for  I  see  notices  of  many  revivals)  Zion 
may  not  be  built  in  these  troublous  times.  There 
are  very  many  in  the  congregation  who  have 
grown  up  under  the  holy  influence  of  a  family 
altar,  and  they  ought  to  come  out  and  declare  them- 
selves on  the  side  of  Christ.  To  resist  the  con- 
stant, gentle  wooing  influences  of  the  Spirit  as 
tliey  are  shed  abroad  daily  in  every  pious,  prayer- 
ful home  seems  a  dark  and  reckless  sin — a  sin 
that  I  do  not  think  will  be  lightly  judged  in  the 
latter  day,  for  God  is  very  jealous  of  the  treatment 
that   his  Holy  Spirit  shall   receive ;  and   to  have 

10 


14(i  GEORGE  PA  I'LL. 

liiin  mocked  and  set  at  iiaiiLrlit  is  to  treat  the  Spirit 
of  God  as  tlie  .lews  did  his  Son.  It  is  worth  more 
than  a  birthri<;ht  to  a  throne  to  have  been  brought 
up  in  a  pious  home.  I  shall  never  cease  to  be 
grateful  for  all  the  holy  and  restraining  influences 
that  were  thrown  around  me.  They  follow  one 
every  day  that  he  lives,  and  they  never  cease  to  do 
their  part  in  shaping  the  life  and  in  forming  it  for 
God.  It  is  not  in  vain  to  sow  the  seed  and  to 
water  it  with  mucli  prayer;  surely  the  harvest  will 
come  at  last. 

"  I  saw  some  parties  settling  a  dispute  the  other 
day  in  a  way  which  was  rather  novel.  As  they 
liave  no  courts,  no  regular  laws,  no  o'fficers  of  jus- 
tice, usually  might  is  right.  But  sometimes  friends 
from  both  parties  meet  and  settle  the  matter  pretty 
satisfactorily.  Generally,  however,  when  a  man 
thinks  he  is  wa'ongcd  by  another,  he  sends  an  am- 
bassador to  say  that  he  must  have  so  much  pay  or 
he  will  come  with  his  friends  and  fight.  If  the 
person  to  whom  this  message  is  sent  happens  to  be 
a  weaker  person  in  point  of  friends,  he  has  no  re- 
sort but  to  pay  the  demand.  Ibape,  one  of  our 
■workmen,  came  to  me  the  other  day  greatly  dis- 
tressed and  said  that  a  man  had  a  'palaver '  with 
him,  and  was  going  to  come  and  fight  him  if  he 


GEORGE  PAULL.  147 

cli<l  not  pay  the  demand.  He  was  obliged  to  pay 
(I  believe  it  was  just  enough  in  this  case),  and 
came  to  me  to  get  help.  A  very  usual  demand  is 
the  price  of  a  slave,  which  is  a  set  value,  and  con- 
sists of  just  so  many  tilings  of  different  kinds,  and 
must  be  neither  more  nor  less  (they  amount  in  all 
to  about  thirty  dollars),  and  these  things  constitute 
currency.  The  price  of  a  slave  is  twelve  romals 
(cloth),  one  gun,  one  keg  of  powder,  one  iron  pot, 
two  iron  bars,  two  brass  rods,  two  heads  of  tobacco, 
one  shirt,  one  red  cap,  two  gun-flints,  one  fire-steel, 
one  cutlass,  one  small  bell,  one  pine  chest,  one 
stone  jar,  two  tobacco  pipes.  All  of  these  articles 
must  be  included,  and  must  be  neither  more  nor 
less;  nor  must  anything  else,  even  though  it  be  of 
equal  or  greater  value,  be  substituted  in  the  place 
of  any  of  the  articles  in  the  list. 

"July  19. — AYe  have  heard  nothing  lately  about 
the  plans  of  the  Spanish,  and  so  do  not  know 
whether  they  intend  to  let  us  stay  here  or  not ;  per- 
haps they  will — at  least  until  they  get  thoroughly 
under  way. 

"I  found  my  little  congregation  at  Alongo  con- 
siderably enlarged  on  Sunday.  I  think  going 
about  among  their  towns  has  had  a  good  effect  on 
them.     1  hope  they  may  come  on  until  there  will 


148  GEORGE  PAULL. 

not  be  room  enough  to  hold  them.  I  preached  on 
my  way  back  at  one  of  the  native  towns,  and  had 
a  good  little  congregation.  I  have  had  a  strong, 
unwavering  confidence  in  God  that  he  will  yet  ere 
long  work  wonders  among  the  people  here.  Pray 
much  for  me  and  for  the  success  of  the  gospel 
among  the  people.  I  often  feel  most  grateful  to 
God  that  he  has  yet  spared  you  that  I  may  have 
the  benefit  of  your  prayers :  surely  I  need  them. 
It  was  just  one  year  yesterday  since  I  preached  my 
farewell  sermon  at  Morrison  (Illinois).  It  has 
soon  passed  away;  another  and  another  will  go  as 
quickly.  I  often  look  back  with  great  pleasure  to 
my  stay  at  Morrison.  It  was  the  most  anxious  six 
months  I  ever  spent,  and  yet  in  many  respects  the 
most  happy,  and,  I  believe,  decidedly  the  most  use- 
ful. God  most  surely  designed  that  I  should  come 
here.  I  look  back  and  see  the  path  most  strangely 
marked  out.  From  the  time  I  thought  of  the  mis- 
sion work  one  diffi(;ulty  and  another  was  gradually 
taken  out  of  the  way,  and  then  by  some  most 
marked  providences  it  was  kept  from  being 
blocked  up  again. 

"I  feel  that  this  is  my  proper  spliere,  and  I 
hope  to  be  blessed  in  the  work.  My  health  is 
good — perhaps  has  never  been  better.     I  feel  as  yet 


GEORGE  PAULL.  149 

no  lassitude,  as  I  thought  I  should ;  sometimes  I 
feel  a  little  depression  of  spirits,  ■which  I  had  been 
free  from  for  the  last  four  or  five  years,  but  per- 
haps when  I  get  at  the  work  thoroughly  this  may 
pass  away.  I  am  glad  that  I  have  the  opportunity 
of  preaching  some  as  I  study  the  language.  I  feel 
that  I  am  at  my  proper  work  only  when  I  am 
preaching.  I  expect  to  keep  up  the  habit  of 
preaching  in  the  towns  at  least  one  day  in  the 
week  besides  the  Sabbath.  If  I  did  not  do  this,  I 
should  feel  depressed  with  the  thought  that  I  was 
doing  nothing,  and  I  seem  to  be  doing  almost 
nothing  as  it  is. 

"  I  think  I  see  uncle,  doctor  and  the  boys  busy  at 
the  hay,  as  this  is  harvest-time  at  home.  I  wish 
you  could  have  as  cool  and  pleasant  weather  for 
harvesting  as  we  have  here.  This  is  the  African 
winter,  and  the  natives  go  about  shivering;  so  do 
the  white  people  that  have  been  here  any  length  of 
time.  Good-bye  for  another  month,  and  may  our 
God  bless  and  keep  us  all !" 

"July  27.  (Journal.) — There  are  seasons  in  the 
lives  of  some  Christians — and  they  seem  to  be  peri- 
odical— when  '  the  enemy  comes  in  like  a  flood '  (ex- 
pressive figure !),  the  flood  gates  are  up  and  the  rush- 
ing tide  of  corruption  sweeps  everything  before  it. 


1-50  GEORGE  PAULL. 

Of  Avhat  avail  i.s  a  helpless  sinner's  strength  in 
such  a  time  as  this?  All  good  resolutions  bend  like 
rushes,  and  the  flood-tide  sweeps  over  them.  A 
Saviour's  free  and  boundless  grace  for  the  chief  of 
sinners  is  the  only  hiding-place." 

To  his  mother : 

"CoRisco,  .July  27,  1864. 

"I  scarcely  had  intended  to  commence  writing 
letters  until  after  our  mail  came,  but  as  I  sat  down 
by  my  table  this  evening  ■with  my  lighted  candle 
before  me,  my  books  about  me  and  feeling  quite 
comfortable  in  my  solitude,  it  came  into  my  mind 
that  I  might  spend  a  few  minutes  very  2)leasantly 
in  w'riting  to  you. 

"  I  have  been  busy  for  the  last  two  days,  and 
expect  to  be  for  another,  putting  a  roof  on  the 
church.  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  have  been  very 
busy,  hoAvever,  as  my  work  Nvas  not  very  difficult. 
I  have  had  eight  or  nine  barefooted  and  barelegged, 
and  some  of  them  bareheaded,  men  to  look  after  as 
they  sat  along  in  a  row  on  the  top  of  the  church 
smoking  a  short  pipe  or  two,  out  of  which  each 
took  a  whiif  in  turn.  They  chatter  away  as  fast 
as  they  can,  and  work  pretty  well  while  you  stand 
before  them  and  look  on,  but  ahnost  the  moment 
one  turns  his  back  the  work  stops,  and  very  likely 


OEORQE  PAULL.  151 

the  whole  row,  or  at  least  a  part,  turns  over  on  its 
back  to  rest.  They  work  for  about  sixteen  cents  a 
day,  and  really  do  as  well  as  could  be  expected  of 
them  when  one  thinks  of  their  irregular  and  indo- 
lent life.  The  roofing  material  is  of  palm  leaves 
pinned  together  with  little  sticks  into  mats  about 
five  or  six  feet  long  by  two  wide.  These  mats, 
overlapping  each  other,  are  tied  on  to  the  bamboo 
rafters  with  long  limber  splits,  something  like  those 
used  to  hang  bacon.  These  mats  make  a  pretty 
complete  roof,  which  turns  the  rain  very  well  for 
two  or  three  years.  I  have  one  or  two  other  jobs 
of  roofing  to  do  yet — the  boat-house  and  part  of 
the  dwelling-house — and  some  fences  to  make  before 
the  rainy  season  commences;  this  will  finish  the 
out-door  work. 

"The  comparison  of  the  righteous  to  the  palm 
tree  in  the  Psalms  seems  more  beautiful  and  forci- 
ble since  I  came  here  than  ever  before.  Both  for 
beauty  and  for  use  it  seems  to  sur2)ass  almost  all 
other  trees.  The  natives  build  their  houses  almost 
from  top  to  bottom  with  it.  They  make  twine  for 
their  nets  from  its  fibre.  They  get  their  wine  from 
it  by  tapping  the  tree.  They  lie  under  its  shade 
and  drink  the  delicious  cocoanut  milk  (I  speak  of 
two  varieties  of  the  palm  which  we  have  here,,  the 


152  GEORGE  PAULL. 

cocoanut  and  the  oil  palm),  and  they  nsc  the  oil  of 
the  nut  fur  food  and  for  light.  The  heart  of  the 
tree  also  makes  most  delicious  cabbage.  We,  too, 
know  the  value  of  the  palm  for  food.  Yesterday, 
for  instance,  we  made  our  dinners  on  palm  butter 
and  palm  cabbage,  and  bread  fruit,  plantains,  rice 
and  sweet  potatoes,  etc.  The  palm  butter  is  a 
choice  dish  made  of  palm  nuts  and  cliicken  boiled 
together.  The  palm  cabbage  (so  called  from  its 
resemblance  to  cabbage)  is  the  heart  of  the  palm 
tree  taken  out  near  the  bottom  ;  it  is  very  good,  but 
it  kills  the  tree  to  get  it.  This  that  we  had  yes- 
terday was  the  first  that  I  have  ever  seen.  It  was 
sent  to  Mrs.  Mackey  by  Mrs.  M'Quecn.  Mrs. 
M'Queen  had  received  a  quantity  of  it  Jis  a  pres- 
ent from  the  Spanish  priest,  who  is  a  gentlemanly 
young  fellow  and  disposed  to  be  polite. 

'^August  8. — For  more  than  a  week  we  have 
been  turning  our  eyes  seaward  in  hopes  of  catch- 
ing a  glimpse  of  our  coming  nuiil,  but  now  we 
have  almost  given  up  the  expectation  for  this 
month,  as  we  think  it  would  have  been  here 
before  this  if  there  had  been  an  o})portunity  to 
send  it  down  from  Fernando  Po.  Two  of  the 
graces  that  one  needs,  especially  in  Africa,  are 
patience    and    quiet    submit^sion.       If    these    are 


GEORGE  PAULL.  153 

f5trong,  they  will  make  many  a  rough  place 
smooth. 

"As  this  is  Monday,  it  has  been  my  day  for 
giving  out  supplies,  but  the  labor  was  very  light. 
I  opened  a  barrel  of  butter,  and  I  have  not  been 
more  surprised  at  anything  than  that  we  should 
have  such  excellent  butter  every  day  away  out 
here.  It  is  sent  out  to  us  packed  in  small  kegs, 
six  of  which  are  put  in  each  barrel.  I  think 
nothing  else  is  done  to  preserve  it,  except  filling 
the  barrel  with  strong  brine. 

"August  9. — To-day  I  have  been  busy  with  six 
men  making  fence  around  the  garden.  It  is  not  a 
very  difficult  process,  but  a  little  tedious.  Long 
sticks  are  first  sharpened  and  put  into  the  ground 
one  foot  apart.  These  are  the  posts,  and  the  rails 
are  bamboo  poles  which  are  tied  to  the  posts  with 
long  timber  splits.  We  make  the  fence  about  six 
feet  high,  and  it  answ^ers  every  purpose  wdiile  it 
lasts,  but  the  hot  suns  and  drenching  rains  rot  it 
away  in  one  year.  There  is  scarcely  any  wood  on 
the  island  fit  for  fencing;  it  is  all  soft  and  easily 
rots.  The  pickets  for  the  fence  which  runs  all 
around  the  mission  grounds  were  brought  from 
the  mainland,  as  is  also  the  wood  which  Mrs. 
Mackey  bui'ns.     The  large  timber  on  Corisco   is 


1 5  4  GEOR  GE  FA  ULL. 

not  very  abundant,  although  tliero  are  some  im- 
mense trees  which  I  think  would  measure  thirty 
or  forty  feet  in  circumference.  The  women  cut 
away  most  of  the  trees,  or  the  tops  of  them,  when 
they  make  their  forms,  which  are  only  about  half- 
acre  gardens.  When  they  choose  a  place  for  a 
farm,  they  take  away  the  underbrush  and  only 
cut  the  limbs  off  the  trees,  so  that  the  tree  may 
not  die ;  and  after  they  have  used  the  ground  for  a 
year  or  two  the  soil  is  exhausted,  and  they  leave 
it  to  grow  up  again  with  buslies  and  trees,  so  that 
it  may  recover  its  strength. 

"At  this  season  of  the  year  (the  dry  season)  the 
women  spend  most  of  tlieir  time  making  farms  and 
planting  cassada  and  plantains :  on  these  they 
chiefly  live.  They  do  nearly  all  their  work  with  a 
simple  iron  cutlass,  which  is  something  like  a  corn- 
cutter,  or  rather  like  a  sabre.  Tlieir  farms  are 
often  a  long  way  off  from  their  houses,  and  they 
pack  their  jiroducc  home  in  baskets,  which  rest  on 
the  small  of  the  back  and  are  supported  by  a  band 
reaching  up  to  the  front  part  of  the  head.  They 
carry  immense  loads  in  this  way,  the  weight  of 
which  rests  mainly  on  the  head,  and  it  is  bent 
forward  as  they  walk.  They  carry  their  wood 
in  this  way,  tied  in  large  bundles  and  stuck  end- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  155 

wise  into  the  basket,  also  their  water,  which  is 
first  put  into  large  four  or  five-gallon  jugs  and 
the  jug  is  put  into  the  basket.  This  dry  season 
is  their  time  for  working,  and  I  suppose  they 
lounge  in  their  huts  when  the  rains  come.  Now 
they  have  it  perfectly  dry,  scarcely  a  drop  of  rain 
in  the  whole  four  months  that  the  season  lasts. 

"As  I  walk  about  the  beach  I  see  them  improv- 
ing the  dry  season  to  boil  their  salt.  They  put  up 
a  little  shed  and  cover  it  with  palm  leaf  mats,  and 
under  this  they  lounge  many  a  day  boiling  salt 
and  roasting  palm  nuts  and  plantains  and  fish. 
Their  kettles  seem  to  be  large  pieces  of  copper 
beaten  into  some  kind  of  shape  for  holding  water. 
They  never  look  happier  than  when  they  are  lying 
round  the  fire  roasting  plantains  and  boiling  salt. 
The  women,  I  suppose,  are  the  better  portion  of 
the  people ;  and  yet  I  do  not  know,  either,  for  they 
have  so  little  in  their  characters  that  is  womanly 
that  you  scarcely  can  persuade  yourself  to  give 
them  the  place  that  otherwise  would  be  their 
due. 

"August  10. — Part  of  my  men  went  away  this 
morning — one  went  a  fishing  and  another  some- 
where else.  Scarcely  any  of  them  have  patience  to 
work  three  or  four  days  at  the  same  thing.     But  if 


156  GEORGE  PAULL. 

one  goes,  lialf  a  dozen  arc  ready  in  a  minute  to  take 
his  place.  Tlicy  arc  all  anxious  to  work  for  a  day 
or  so,  to  get  some  fish-hooks  or  cloth  or  something 
else.  This  season  of  the  year  is  a  fine  time  svith 
them  for  fishing.  They  go  out  in  their  boats  to 
sea,  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  and  spend  the 
day  catching  what  they  call  bianga  (a  fish  about  as 
large  as  a  mackerel)  with  hook  and  line.  Each 
man  will  catch  perhaps  twenty.  They  cannot 
preserve  them  long  except  by  salting  them  heavily 
and  then  smoking  them,  which  they  do  by  simply 
hanging  them  up  in  their  houses,  for  they  have 
no  chimneys.  They  build  the  fire  in  the  middle 
of  the  house  and  let  it  blaze  and  smoke  away ;  the 
smoke  and  soot  do  not  disturb  them  in  the  least. 
In  anything  connected  with  boating  or  fishing  I 
believe  they  are  tolerably  expert.  Their  boats  are 
made  out  of  immense  trees,  and  are  hewn  out  into 
excellent  shape,  very  much  like  a  skiif.  They  use 
sails  on  them,  sometimes  one,  sometimes  two. 
Even  the  little  boys  are  passionately  fond  of  boats 
and  the  water.  They  make  very  handsome  little 
boats,  rigged  with  sails,  and  then  their  chief 
amusement  is  in  wading  along  the  beach  and  drag- 
ging them  in  the  water. 

"If  nothing   providential    hinders  I  expect  to 


QEORQE  PAULL.  157 

start  on  Tuesday  to  vit^it  the  stations  on  the  main- 
land and  preach  to  the  people  there.  The  ont- 
stations  are  occupied  by  Scripture  readers,  who  hold 
prayer-meetings  and  make  exhortations.  It  was 
the  intention  of  the  mission  for  some  one  of  the 
missionaries  to  visit  these  stations  once  a  month, 
but  this  has  not  been  done  of  late  because  of  the 
smallness  of  our  force.  Dr.  Nassau  is  so  much 
troubled  with  sea-sickness  when  he  sails  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  for  him  to  leave  the  island ;  be- 
sides, his  other  duties — of  school,  etc. — make  his 
hands  full.  So  I  have  offered  to  take  the  work  at 
the  out-stations  until  more  help  comes.  Dr.  Nas- 
sau is  a  fine  singer  and  very  fond  of  music.  He 
teaches  all  the  children  under  his  care  to  sing. 
INIany  of  the  natives  who  have  been  about  the  mis- 
sion sing  very  well,  and  even  start  quite  a  number 
of  tunes.  When  I  preach,  I  generally  depend  on 
my  interpreter  to  raise  the  tunes. 

"  Dr.  Nassau  is  expecting  his  wife  out  again  be- 
fore long.  She  seems  to  be  very  active  and  ener- 
getic, and  has  a  share  in  doing  everything  that  is 
to  be  done.  She  is  fond  of  gardening,  and  has  in- 
stilled quite  a  love  for  the  art  into  the  doctor.  He 
has  a  fine  large  garden  of  sweet  potatoes,  which  are 
easily  cultivated.     The  whole  process  consists  in 


158  GEORGE  PAULL. 

throwing  up  some  ridges  of  cartli  and  breaking 
off  some  pieces  of  green  potato  vine  and  sticking 
them  in,  and  in  a  few  weeks  you  have  a  flourish- 
ing crop.  Indeed,  they  grow  all  around  wherever 
a  piece  of  vine  is  thrown  down. 

"Our  farm  here  is  not  large,  perhaps  three  acres 
in  all,  but  with  the  amount  of  stock  on  it — viz.,  a 
horse,  two  cattle,  twenty  goats  and  half  a  dozen 
sheep — we  have  a  good  deal  of  trouble  as  well  as  on 
larger  farms,  but  not  m  iwoviding  food.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  simply  to  let  them  run  and  feed  on  the 
grass  all  the  year  round.  It  grows  very  rank,  and 
a  little  piece  of  ground  will  produce  a  great  deal. 
It  is  never  safe  to  let  a  sheep  or  a  goat  outside  the 
enclosure,  as  it  is  almost  sure  to  be  stolen.  Even 
the  cattle  of  the  missionaries  at  Gaboon  are  pretty 
sure  to  be  speared  l)y  the  natives  when  they  wan- 
der away  from  the  mission  grounds. 

^'August  13. — My  last  letter  from  home  was 
dated  29th  of  March,  well  nigh  five  months  ago, 
and  we  are  still  in  ignorance  of  home  affairs.  For 
lack  of  anything  later,  and  for  sake  of  bringing  up 
home  pictures  more  vividly,  last  night  I  took  out 
the  letters  that  I  have  received  from  home  since  I 
left  and  re-read  them.  This  was  at  least  some 
satisfaction.     Five  have  reached   me  in  all.     One 


GEORGE  PAULL.  159 

of  the  continual  temptations  here  is  to  have  one's 
thoughts  running  backward  to  home  and  friends 
perhaps  more  than  is  right.  The  reasons  are,  first, 
that  one  has  no  social  enjoyments  here,  and  it  is 
hard  to  root  out  the  natural  craving  after  friends 
and  friendly  intercourse;  and  since  the  craving  can- 
not be  satisfied  with  the  reality,  one  is  constantly 
tempted  to  be  reaching  backward  after  the  shadow 
or  the  remembrance  of  what  was.  Then,  also,  the 
utter  absence  of  outward  business  and  stir  and  ex- 
citement to  draw  off  the  attention  has  the  effect  of 
turning  one's  thoughts  altogether  inward,  there  to 
be  occupied  in  studying  one's  thoughts  and  feelings 
and  experiences,  or  else  in  running  back  over  the 
memories  of  the  past,  gathering  out  the  bright 
spots  for  good  cheer,  and  ruminating  over  the 
darker  ones  to  learn  some  lesson  for  the  future.  I 
try,  however,  to  bring  my  dreaming  within  certain 
bounds,  and  do  but  little  of  it  at  other  times,  unless 
occasionally  when  the  tide  breaks  over  all  bounds 
and  takes  its  course. 

"  But  aside  from  all  this,  I  am  perfectly  content 
in  my  African  home,  and  would  not  give  up  my 
field  of  labor  here  for  any  that  I  have  had,  or 
might  hope  to  have,  in  my  own  land.  I  say  this 
from  the  feeling  "^hat  it  is  my  proper  place,  and 


ICO  GEORGE  PAULL. 

that  God  has  sent  mc  liere  in  answer  to  prayer  and 
a  sincere  desire  that  I  might  be  placed  just  where 
ray  life  might  tell  most  truly  for  good  and  for 
God's  glory.  Certainly,  in  the  economy  of  God, 
there  is  a  place  for  every  child  of  iiis,  to  which  he 
is  in  every  way  better  adapted  than  to  any  other, 
and  in  which  he  will  accomplish  more  than  in  any 
other.  He  made  none  of  us  without  some  design. 
He  had  some  end  to  accomplish  in  the  creation  of 
each  one  of  us;  and  if  we  seek  earnestly  and  sub- 
missively and  prayerfully  to  have  him  fulfill  his 
whole  will  in  us,  we  shall  never  be  disappointed, 
and  in  the  end  God  shall  surely  be  glorified. 

"  One  of  the  most  important  effects  on  myself 
that  I  look  for  here,  and  sincerely  desire,  is  that 
my  worldliness  may  be  in  some  measure  sjibdued — 
I  mean  my  fondness  for  society  and  pleasure  of  a 
social  kind.  It  seems  in  all  my  past  life  to  have 
had  possession  of  me  like  a  demon,  almost,  and  to 
have  hurried  me  along  under  its  mad  sway.  And 
yet  so  weak  am  I  that  if  subjected  to  the  same 
temptations,  unless  kept  by  the  mighty  power  of 
God,  I  should  be  hurried  away  as  madly  again. 
Every  man  in  his  best  unaided  strength  is  like  a 
reed  before  the  blast;  he  bends  and  shakes  until 
the  storm  is  past,  and  when  the  next  wind  blows 


GEORGE  PAULL.  161 

he  bends  and  .sliakes  again.  They  are  blessed 
above  all  others  who  mind  religion  in  the  earliest 
dawn  of  life ;  they  are  saved  from  many  a  snare 
and  from  many  a  sorrow  for  time  spent  in  folly. 

"  Since  coming  to  Corisco  I  have  seen  but  little 
that  is  rare  of  the  animal  or  reptile  kind.  There 
is  not  much  variety  in  that  way  on  Corisco.  Liz- 
ards, it  is  true,  run  about  on  all  sides  and  under 
your  feet,  and  birds  in  great  variety — and  some  of 
them,  too,  very  beautiful — fly  all  around,  and  little 
squirrels  jump  about  within  a  few  yards  of  you. 
There  are  also  some  snakes,  but  I  have  seen  only 
a  few.  To-day,  as  the  spring  is  about  failing  (they 
always  do  here  in  the  dry  season),  I  opened  the 
large  cistern,  so  that  we  could  use  the  water  in  it. 
Two  snakes  had  found  their  way  into  it  before  us; 
one  was  dead  and  putrid,  the  other  alive  and 
sprightly.  They  were  five  or  six  feet  long,  and 
seemed  to  be  a  variety  of  the  cobra  di  capello,  and 
are  very  poisonous.  The  living  one  I  soon  put 
an  end  to  with  the  cutlass.  These  are,  I  think, 
the  only  snakes  that  I  have  seen  on  the  island. 

'^Monday,  August  14. — Yesterday  I  preached  as 

usual  at  Alongo  and  in  one  of  the  towns  near  by. 

My  congregations   have  been    steadily  increasing, 

and  give   me   great  encouragement   both  by  their 
11 


Ki^  (iKORGK  PAVLL. 

quietness  and  attcnlidn  and  l)y  the  numbers  that 
come.  This  makes  me  hopeful  that  by  preaehing 
to  theui  patiently,  earnestly  and  })rayerfully  their 
hearts  may  yet  be  reached.  I  spend  one  day  in 
every  week  going  around  among  their  towns  to 
preach  and  invite  them  to  church.  There  is  no 
desire  auiong  them  to  hear  the  gospel,  as  is  often 
supposed  in  America.  They  arc  too  deeply  buried 
in  darkness  and  in  sin  to  know  or  feel  their  need 
of  it.  But  tiiis,  instead  of  being  a  reason  for  with- 
holding the  gospel,  is  only  the  stronger  argument 
for  pressing  and  urging  it  upon  then),  'compelling 
them  to  come  in.'  INIost  of  them,  when  urged  to 
come,  make  the  promise  to  come  simply  to  get  rid 
of  you,  or  else  they  allow  some  trifling  excuse  to 
keep  them  away.  The  older  ones,  who  are  attached 
to  their  customs  and  heathenish  practices,  say  that 
it  is  better  to  stay  away  and  to  keep  their  wives 
away,  for  they  do  not  want  to  become  Christians, 
and  that  if  they  go  to  church  they  would  be  very 
apt  to  do  so.  But  I  am  persuaded  that,  stubborn 
as  the  natural  heart  is,  multitudes  will  yet  bend 
their  ne<;ks  to  the  sway  of  Him  whose  yoke  is 
easy  and  whose  burden  is  light. 

"  We  had  a  short  visit  to-day  from  three  or  four 
traders  on  Iloby.      Some  of  them  are  very  nice, 


GEORGE  PAULL.  163 

gentlemanly  young  Scotchmen,  who  have  come 
out  to  this  coast  for  sake  of  the  higher  salaries 
given  by  their  employers  in  Scotland,  One  was 
a  handsome  young  fellow  with  a  fine  noble  face, 
but  very  pale.  His  name,  Maclachlan.  lie  came 
to  consult  the  doctor  about  his  health,  and  had 
fears  of  consumption,  but  the  doctor  relieved  his 
fears  and  told  him  there  was  no  particular  danger. 
He  put  three  dollars  into  my  hand  as  he  went  away 
for  the  benefit  of  the  mission.  It  makes  me  sorry 
to  see  a  fine  young  fellow  come  out  here  as  a  trader, 
because  almost  certain  ruin  is  the  result.  There 
are  no  restraints  of  society,  no  wdiolesome  influence 
of  any  kind,  while  on  the  other  hand  they  have 
every  opportunity  to  run  into  all  possible  excess 
and  to  indulge  every  appetite  and  passion.  Many 
a  noble  young  Scotchman  along  this  coast  has  fallen 
a  shattered  wreck  before  he  reached  mature  man- 
hood, and  his  bones  lie  mouldering  under  the 
sands. 

"I  have  promised  to  spend  next  Sabbath  at 
Iloby  and  preach  there  on  my  way  back  from 
the  mainland.  I  would  that  I  could  be  instru- 
mental in  doing  them  some  good  !  There  are  five 
or  six  of  them  there  now,  and  one  of  them  was 
anxious  to  have  me  come  and  preach  to  them,  as 


104  GEORGE  PAULL. 

lie  said  they  had  no  Sabbath  at  all  there  now,  but 
that  Sabbath  was  their  greatest  trade-day.  The 
factories  of  tiie  traders  of  which  you  read  in  Du 
Chain  u  are  simply  stores  in  which  they  keep  goods — 
viz.,  clothes,  beads,  rum,  tobacco,  etc. — to  trade  to 
the  natives  for  dyewoods,  India  rubber,  ivory, 
palm  oil,  etc.,  which  they  send  back  to  England 
and  Scotland.  There  is  indeed  quite  an  exten- 
sive trade  all  along  this  coast.  Ships  pass  within 
sight  of  us  almost  every  week,  and  sometimes  sev- 
eral in  a  week. 

"  I  have  never  mentioned  in  any  of  my  letters, 
T  think,  the  use  I  made  of  Mrs.  M'Dowell's  con- 
tribution. Let  her  know  that  it  was  invested  in 
Bibles,  which  were  presented  to  four  little  boys  in 
Alongo  school.  They  are  learning  to  read  them, 
and  I  hope  she  will  add  her  fervent  prayers  that 
they  may  also  learn  to  obey  them  ;  and  doubtless 
the  day  will  come  that  they  will  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed.  I  wish  that  many  more  would  follow 
her  example.  Many  a  dollar  might  be  given  that 
would  never  be  missed  by  the  giver,  and  yet  if 
prayer,  earnest  and  believing  prayer,  went  with " 
it,  it  M^ould  kindle  a  light  in  some  soul  which 
would  at  last  blend  its  rays  with  the  light  that 
is  uncreated.     A  soul  plucked   from  this  darkness 


GEORGE  FAULL.  165 

and  planted  in  the  Uglit,  there  to  shine  for  ever 
calm  and  beautiful  as  a  star — that  would  be  a  rare 
reward  for  a  little  self-denial.  I  have  thought 
much  of  late  that  I  could  ask  no  higher  gift  of 
God  for  me  than  that  I  might  be  so  wrapped  up 
in  a  desire  for  his  glory  and  for  the  good  of  this 
people  as  that  I  should  bend  every  thought  and 
every  energy,  while  I  live,  to  this  end.  But,  alas  ! 
it  is  with  me  as  I  suppose  it  is  with  many  others : 
I  have  exalted  conceptions  of  what  I  would  like 
to  do  and  like  to  be,  but  my  progress  toward  the 
mark  is  slow.  I  only  seem  to  sit  and  resolve,  and 
then  let  the  matter  end,  though  I  hope  it  is  not 
altogether  so. 

"  For  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  my  progress  in 
the  study  of  the  Benga  has  been  slow.  Building 
fence  and  roofing  the  church  were  interruptions,  but 
it  was  necessary  that  these  should  be  done  while  the 
dry  season  lasted,  and  my  interpreter  for  the  last 
week  has  not  come.  His  brother,  the  headman  of 
the  town,  has  lately  died,  and  his  excuse  is  that 
since  then  much  business  falls  on  him.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  we  may  have  to  dissolve  partnership.  I 
had  hoped  that  our  letters  would  get  here  before  I 
left  for  the  mainland,  but  there  is  no  sign  of  their 
reaching  us." 


IGG  GEORGE  FAULL.  "' 

To  his  luother  tuul  sister  : 

"  Coiiisco,  August  23,  1864. 

"  I  am  safely  baek  again  iVnin  my  jcnirney  to  the 
mainland.  It  was  very  j)leasant,  and  the  weari- 
someness  seemed  as  nothing  because  of  the  delight- 
ful ness  of  the  work.  On  Tuesday,  16th,  after  due 
preparation  for  a  week's  boating,  I  got  off  on  my 
first  preaching  tour  to  the  mainland.  The  prepa- 
ration kept  me  busy  all  the  morning — that  is,  getting 
the  men  (six  in  number)  ready,  getting  the  boat 
launclied,  the  mast  up  and  the  sails  ready,  etc., 
and  then,  too,  getting  some  shawls  for  sleeping  on 
and  under  (for  there  are  no  beds  on  the  mainland), 
and  overcoats,  and  extra  clothing  for  emergencies, 
and  a  stock  of  medicines  also  in  case  of  sickness. 
Then  also  some  cloth  and  knives,  etc.,  must  be 
taken  along  to  buy  food  for  the  men ;  also  some 
supplies  for  the  Scripture  readers  whom  I  went  to 
visit.  Besides  these,  my  own  larder  had  to  be 
stocked ;  for  there  is  no  white  man's  food  there, 
unless  it  be  an  occasional  chicken.  Mrs.  Mackey 
presided  over  this  part,  and  stocked  a  small  box  for 
me  with  roast  beef,  and  chicken,  and  crackers,  and 
cakes,  and  bread,  with  the  necessary  helps  in  eating, 
viz.,  knife  and  fork,  plate,  towels,  etc.,  also  a 
candle  or  two  and  some  matches.     Thus  comfort- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  167 

ably  equipped,  I  started  off  near  neon  with  my 
crew  of  six  and  two  or  three  passengers. 

"  Our  boat  skimmed  along  the  water  before  a 
good  breeze  beautifully  as  a  bird.  It  is  only  an 
open  boat,  very  much  like  a  large  skiff,  perhaps 
thirty  feet  or  more  long ;  very  strong  it  is,  and  will 
carry  a  heavy  load.  We  had  not  traveled  very  far 
until  I  felt  ray  old  squeamishness  returning,  and  as 
the  best  preventive  I  laid  down  on  ray  back  and  shut 
my  eyes.  This  plan  would  have  succeeded,  I  think, 
but  presently  some  of  the  men  called  out  that  they 
had  brought  nothing  to  bail  out  water  with;  and  as 
the  water  was  coming  in,  I  was  obliged  to  get  up 
and  search  my  box  for  something  that  would  an- 
swer, and  fortunately  found  a  small  tin  bucket 
filled  with  cakes  which  could  easily  be  emjjtied. 
But  the  getting  up  unsettled  my  stomach,  and  I  was 
seasick — sick  enough  indeed.  But  it  was  soon  over, 
at  least  the  worst  of  it,  and  an  hour  or  two  more 
of  sailing  brought  us  to  Big  Eloby,  our  first  stop- 
ping-place. 

"  Big  Eloby  and  Little  Eloby  are  small  islands 
directly  east  of  Corisco,  twelve  miles  fiom  it  and 
within  four  miles  of  the  mainland.  Little  Eloby 
is  perhaps  one  and  a  half  miles  in  circumference, 
and  is  occupied  by  five  or  six  traders  who  have 


108  GEORGE  FAULL. 

their  factories  there,  and  trade  with  the  natives, 
who  bring  them  India  rubber  and  barwood  down 
the  river  Muni,  immediately  opposite  Big  Eloby, 
wiiich  is  occupied  altogether  by  natives,  of  whom 
there  arc  perhaps  several  hundred.  We  have  a 
station  and  one  Scripture  reader  there,  Eavo  by 
name,  a  very  efficient,  earnest  man. 

"  We  anchored  at  Eavo's  station  about  2  o'clock , 
and  leaving  one  of  the  natives  to  watch  the  boat, 
and  getting  on  the  back  of  another  (this  is  the 
usual  way  of  being  landed  from  boats  here,  to  avoid 
wetting  of  our  clothes  by  tlie  surf),  I  went  ashore 
Eavo  took  me  to  his  bamboo  house,  which  is  house 
and  church  all  in  one,  and  belongs  to  the  mis- 
sion, and  gave  me  a  room.  I  was  glad  to  lie  down 
for  a  little  time  on  the  bed  (an  oblong  frame  with 
nothing  but  bamboo  splits  laid  on  it)  and  take  a  rest. 
It  takes  but  little  to  weary  one  in  such  a  climate 
as  this,  I  cannot  tell  why  it  is,  but  all  know  by 
experience  that  it  is  so.  I  had  not  rested  long  until 
I  heard  the  voice  of  zealous  Eavo  talking  away  very 
earnestly  in  the  next  room  ;  and  as  I  after  a  Avhile 
peered  through  where  he  was,  I  found  him  sitting 
by  the  table  with  the  gospel  of  Matthew  (in 
Benga)  in  his  hand,  expounding  it  to  a  young  na- 
tive with  a  crrave  and  attentive  face  on  the  other 


GEORGE  FAULL.  ltJ9 

side  of  the  table.  I  went  around  afterward 
through  six  or  seven  of  the  towns  to  see  the  people 
and  invite  them  to  church,  as  I  intended  to  preach 
at  night.  These  towns  had  a  sad  and  dreary- 
aspect  to  me,  and  I  scarcely  knew  why  until  I 
smelt  the  rum  on  the  breath  of  the  men,  and  then 
I  knew.  They  live  near  to  the  factories,  where  rum 
is  bartered  freely  as  water,  and  the  poor  creatures 
drink  like  beasts.  May  our  Father  who  is  merci- 
ful forgive  the  traders  this  great  wrong  !  Death  and 
sorrow  and  sin  follow  in  their  track  ;  and  where 
the  missionaries  seek  to  lure  men  up  to  God  and 
heaven,  these  others,  with  their  cruel  snares,  gather 
up  scores  and  hurry  them  down  to  hell. 

"  When  night  came  on,  quite  a  houseful  of  men 
and  women  gathered  in  to  hear  the  word.  After 
preaching  six  inquirers  remained,  with  whom  I 
spent  half  an  hour  or  more  trying  to  teach  them 
the  way  to  Christ.  They  have  been  inquirers  for 
some  time,  and  seem  to  have  gained  some  know- 
ledge of  the  '  way,'  but  it  is  hard  for  minds  so 
dark  to  gain  a  clear  and  saving  view  of  the  way  to 
be  saved.  If  the  Spirit  of  God  is  leading  them, 
they  will  at  last  see  the  light.  jSTothing  is  too  hard 
for  God  to  do ;  he  can  give  sight  to  all  that  are 
blind.     I  supped  before  services  on  a  part  of  my 


170  GEORGE  PAULL. 

cold  chicken  and  some  cakes  and  a  glass  of  water, 
which  I  also  carried  in  my  box,  for  good  water  is 
hard  to  get  in  many  places.  After  all  the  duties 
of  the  day  Avere  done  I  lay  down  on  my  bed  of 
bamboo  splits  with  a  shawl  nndcr  me  and  one  over 
me,  and  my  carpet-bag  under  my  head  for  a  pillow, 
and  thus  slept  with  tolerable  comfort  until  the 
morning. 

"On  Wednesday,  17th,  I  was  up  a  considerable 
while  before  day  to  be  off  on  my  journey.  I  sat 
down  on  the  side  of  my  bed  and  breakfasted  on 
the  rest  of  my  chicken  by  the  light  of  the  moon, 
which  was  pouring  in  brightly  at  the  window. 
After  prayer  with  the  men  we  were  again  in  the 
boat  and  away  before  a  nice  morning  breeze. 
Eavo  went  with  us  to  a  point  on  the  mainland 
where  his  wife  was  on  a  visit,  and  where  he  wished 
to  talk  to  the  people  from  the  Scriptures. 

"  We  stopped  for  a  moment  at  Cape  St.  John, 
the  most  northern  point  of  Corisco  Bay,  to  let  one 
of  our  passengers  oif.  A  little  farther  up  the  coast 
we  stopped  till  a  canoe  came  off  for  the  other. 
About  noon  we  came  to  Aje,  one  of  the  nearest 
stations  on  the  mainland,  about  thirty-five  miles 
from  Corisco.  There  is  a  large  native  town  here 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Ajc  River.     The  people  spoak 


GEOBGE  PAULL.  171 

the  Benga  language  with  little  variation,  but  they 
belong  to  the  Bapuku  tribe.  Many  of  them  stood 
on  the  bank  as  we  sailed  into  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  hailed  our  arrival  with  evident  delight. 
I  soon  found  Makendenga  and  Ilanga,  our  Scrip- 
ture readers  at  that  point,  and  went  with  them  to 
the  station-house,  which  was  soon  crowded  with 
curious  faces  anxious  to  hear  the  news  and  to  see  a 
strano;e  white  man.  As  I  was  tired  and  sick  with 
the  headache  from  boating,  I  laid  down  and  rested 
for  an  hour  on  the  bamboo  splits.  They  cooked 
me  a  chicken  and  an  egg;  most  of  the  chicken  I 
gave  to  the  men,  but  I  drank  the  soup  or  broth, 
which  they  brought  me  in  a  mug.  It  tasted  savory 
indeed,  for  I  had  had  no  warm  drink  on  my  stom- 
ach before  since  I  left  Corisco.  They  had  neither 
knife  nor  fork  nor  spoon  nor  salt  to  give  me, 
though  I  happened  to  have  all  these  with  me,  ex- 
cept the  spoon.  There  was  one  short  wooden  spoon 
in  the  house,  but  the  men  had  it  busily  going 
round  their  circle  from  one  to  another,  dipping, 
each  in  his  turn,  from  a  pot  of  food  in  the  centre. 
The  fish  and  boiled  plantains  they  eat  with  their 
fingers,  taking  all  from  the  same  dish.  The  im- 
mense quantity  of  food  that  they  can  dispose  of  at 
one  time  makes  me  open  my  eyes  with  surprise. 


172  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"  After  rest  and  food  I  took  a  sliort  walk  around 
tliruiigli  the  wilderness,  which  is  thick  all  about,  to 
see  something  of  the  nature  of  the  coast.  I  came 
to  the  river  again  a  short  distance  from  its 
mouth,  but  found  it  degenerated  almost  into  a 
stagnant  swamp.  Mangroves  grew  plentifully  all 
through  it,  leaving  only  here  and  there  an  ojjcu 
passage.  One  jjcculiarity  of  the  African  coast  (as 
Mr.  Mackey  has  sometimes  told  American  audi- 
ences) is  that  the  oysters  grow  on  trees.  I  saw  the 
sight  myself,  veritable  oysters  growing  on  veritable 
limbs  of  trees !  But  it  is  the  tree,  not  the  oyster, 
that  reverses  the  order  of  nature ;  the  oyster  keeps 
his  place,  but  the  limbs  of  the  tree  (mangrove) 
grow  under  water.  There  are  immense  quantities 
of  oysters  grooving  in  this  way,  not  very  large,  nor 
of  a  very  good  quality,  but  still  having  the  proper 
flavor.  Mrs.  Mackey  sometimes  uses  thcni  at 
table. 

"I  was  here,  too,  just  in  the  midst  of  the  ele- 
phant region.  I  did  not,  however,  see  any,  but 
the  people  tell  me  that  the  elephants  cause  them 
an  immense  deal  of  trouble,  coming  into  their 
farms  at  night  and  tearing  up  and  eating  their 
plantains  and  cassada.  Very  few  elephants,  how- 
ever, are  killed  in  this  immediate  neighborhood.    As 


GEORGE  PAULL.  173 

night  drew  on  a  goodly  number  of  attentive  lis- 
teners came  in  and  filled  the  house,  and  I  preached 
to  them  the  story  of  'God's  wondrous  love  in  giv- 
ing his  Son  to  die  that  we  might  live.'  One  of  the 
wives  of  the  headman  is  an  inquirer,  and  remained 
after  preaching.  I  could  get  but  little  knowledge 
of  her  thoughts,  but  I  tried  to  tell  her  in  the 
simplest  terms  the  way  to  God  through  Christ.  It 
is  a  joy  to  think  that,  if  no  more,  at  least  one  from 
here  and  there  shall  at  last  come  up  among  the 
redeemed  in  glory  and  help  to  swell  the  song  of 
praise  to  '  Him  that  has  loved  us  and  washed  us  in 
his  blood.'  The  Scripture  readers  are  simple- 
hearted,  kind  men.  It  is  no  hard  task  to  love 
them  and  to  feel  that  they  are  one  with  us  in 
Christ.  They  hold  meetings  for  prayer  morning, 
noon  and  night,  reading  also  the  Scriptures  and 
talking  with  the  people.  They  keep  a  school,  to 
which  all  may  come  who  will.  I  had  a  long 
talk  with  them  to  encourage  them  and  urge  thera 
on  in  their  good  work. 

"Thursday,  18th. — This  morning  I  was  more  at 
leisure  in  starting,  as  we  had  only  a  few  miles  to 
sail.  So,  after  prayers  and  a  light  breakfast  on  fish 
and  eggs,  we  were  away  to  the  beach  and  in  our 
boat.     UnfortunateV  we  found  the  anchor  fast  in 


174  GEORGE  PAULL. 

the  sand,  but  a  couple  of  willing  fellows  jumped 
into  the  water  and  were  soon  down  to  the  bottom 
to  see  what  wa.s  the  matter.  So  by  a  little  effort, 
with  their  assistance,  we  at  last  got  away.  When 
we  got  fairly  under  way  our  boat  sailed  along  de- 
lightfully before  the  strong  breeze.  The  next  sta- 
tion to  which  we  were  going,  and  the  last  one,  was 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Hanje,  another  little  river 
eight  or  nine  miles  above  the  Aje,  and  among  the 
Kombe  people.  Their  language  also  differs  but 
little  from  the  Benga. 

"The  Scripture  readers  here  are  Juniba  and 
Etiane,  and  they  are  noble  fellows,  too.  We  met 
them  as  we  went,  out  on  the  sea,  going  to  fish  with 
some  other  of  the  natives.  They  came  back  with 
us  in  our  boat,  and  their  faces  showed  their  joy, 
for  the  arrival  of  the  mission-boat  is  to  them  very 
much  as  the  arrival  of  an  American  ship  is  to  us. 
On  the  beach  were  numbers  of  Kombe  people  gath- 
ered, and  they  followed  us  into  the  house.  After 
I  had  sat  down  for  a  while  an  old  headman  came 
in,  and,  after  a  profound  bow  and  a  somewhat  cere- 
monious welcome,  he  laid  down  on  the  table  before 
me  a  paper  which  he  seemed  to  esteem  a  most  im- 
portant document.  I  opened  it,  and  found  it  to  be 
the  article  of  agivcment  between  ]\Ir.  Mackey  and 


GEORGE  PAULL.  175 

them  for  the  purchase  of  the  ground  on  which  the 
station  stood. 

"  I  was  much  pleased  with  the  Kombe  people, 
more,  indeed,  than  with  any  that  I  have  seen  in 
Africa.  They  seem  generous -hearted,  simple- 
minded,  and  have  not  been  so  spoiled  by  the 
corrupting  influence  of  trade.  After  I  had  eaten 
some  dinner,  which  Jumba  had  been  careful  to 
provide  (shortly  after  my  arrival  he  said,  '  I  go 
get  chicken  for  you'),  I  preached  for  quite  a  long 
while  to  about  forty  people  on  the  '  parable  of  the 
Prodigal  Son/  and  through  tlie  whole  of  it  they 
were  as  quiet  and  attentive  an  audience  as  any,  I 
think,  I  ever  stood  before.  Later  in  the  afternoon, 
one  or  two  of  the  young  men  went  with  me,  and  I 
walked  back  by  a  narrow  path  in  the  direction  of 
the  interior  until  I  came  upon  the  river  again. 
Here  I  found  nearly  all  of  the  women  of  the 
town  busily  engaged  in  building  dams  across  the 
stream  to  catch  fish.  They  build  two  dams  near 
together,  and  then  bail  out  the  water  between  them. 
In  this  way  they  sometimes  catch  quantities  of  fish, 
chiefly  catfish.  When  I  left  them  I  bade  them 
good-bye  and  wished  them  success  in  catching 
plenty  of  fish.  They  said,  'Bless  us,  that  we 
may  catch  plenty  of  fish,'  and  the  words  sent  a 


1"6  GEORGE  PAULL: 

chill  through  mc  as  I  thought  that  in  their  blind- 
ness they  woukl  put  man  in  the  place  of  his  Maker. 
I  pointed  thcni  to  Ilim  who  alone  has  power  to 
bless  and  prosper  in  every  station  and  duty  of  life. 
They  said  *  Yes,  all  the  people  in  Planje  know  that 
your  God  is  a  very  great  God.'  But  it  is  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  make  them  believe  and  feel  that  the 
*  white  man's  God '  is  their  God  also.  I  urged 
them  to  come  in  to  hear  about  God  at  night,  but 
they  said  they  would  be  too  tired  to  walk  so  far, 
and  were  going  to  sleep  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"As  I  returned  to  Hanje  by  another  path  I  sud- 
denly came  upon  traces  of  elephants,  and  they  were 
so  recent  that  it  startled  me  for  a  moment  M'hon 
I  thought  that  I  was  then  standing  in  the  tracks 
that  wild  elephants  had  made  not  long  before.  As 
I  passed  along  I  came  on  more  frequent  traces, 
which  seemed  to  make  it  evident  that  elephants 
were  abundant  there  and  would  not  be  difficult  to 
find.  Late  in  the  afternoon  I  went  with  the  Scrip- 
ture readers  to  examine  a  house,  in  a  town  a  short 
distance  up  the  river,  which  they  wished  to  hire 
for  mission  purposes.  We  got  into  a  canoe  and 
paddled  up  the  narrow,  deep  stream.  In  some 
places  it  was  so  thickly  covered  with  mangroves 
as  scarcely  to  leave  a  passage  for  the  canoe.    It  was 


GEORGE  PAULL.  Ill 

a  quiet,  solemn  ride,  because  of  the  dreariness  of 
the  mangroves  about  and  overhead.  At  length  we 
landed  in  a  grove  of  palms,  about  twenty  in  num- 
ber, and  as  tall  and  beautiful  as  I  have  ever  seen. 
They  stood  in  rows  as  though  they  had  been 
planted,  and  their  branches  met  at  the  top  and 
made  a  deep,  quiet  shade  underneath.  They  stood 
there  like  majestic  old  columns,  grand  and  beauti- 
ful; and  since  I  was  in  Westminster  or  St.  Paul's 
I  have  not  been  in  a  place  where  I  felt  such  awe, 
and  where  there  seemed  to  be  such  a  deep,  solemn 
quiet,  as  though  it  were  a  temple  of  the  living 
God. 

"After  we  had  examined  the  house  I  went  back 
and  preached  to  a  good  audience  at  Hanje  in  the 
evening,  and  conversed  with  the  mother  and  sister 
of  Jumba  after  preaching. 

'^Friday,  August  19. — This  morning  we  were 
all  up  by  daylight,  and,  after  prayers,  got  off. 
Our  own  boat  was  anchored  out  from  shore  nearly 
half  a  mile,  because  of  the  rocks  near  the  land,  so 
we  went  off  to  it  in  Jumba's  boat.  I  bade  good- 
bye to  Jumba,  as  noble  a  Christian,  I  think,  as  I 
have  ever  seen;  everything  about  him  seems  tem- 
pered with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  His  face 
shines  with  that  peculiar  lustre  which  speaks  so 

12 


178  GEORGE  PAULL. 

plainly  of  liappincss  aiul  peace  within.  At  an- 
other time  I  hope  to  give  you  some  account  of 
hira,  as  his  history  is  interesting.  When  we  got 
our  sails  spread  I  took  a  little  breakfast,  viz., 
some  biscuit,  hot  fish,  and  a  glass  of  water.  The 
fish  are  cooked  by  wrapping  them  with  pepper  in 
plantain  leaves  (green),  and  thus  laying  them  on 
the  coals.  My  breakfast  had  to  serve  tne  till 
night,  as  we  landed  nowhere  and  I  could  eat  noth- 
ing while  we  were  sailing.  The  trip  up  the  coast 
is  pleasant  enough,  but  going  back  it  is  very 
tedious,  as  the  winds  are  all  against  us,  and  we 
are  compelled  to  tack  back  and  forward  all  the 
time.  Thus,  as  we  were  now  on  our  return,  we 
were  sailing  back  and  forth  all  day,  and  making 
but  little  progress.  In  the  afternoon  a  man  and  a 
boy  came  off  to  us  from  the  shore  in  a  canoe.  He 
brought  twenty-seven  ears  of  dried  corn,  a  chicken, 
and  some  dried  fish.  I  bought  tiiem  all  for  about 
eight  cents.  \Ve  buy  almost  everythin^g  that  tlie 
natives  bring  us,  as  we  generally  find  use  for  it  at 
the  mission. 

"About  night  I  was  glad  to  find  that  we  were 
drawing  near  to  Cape  St.  John,  where  we  expected 
to  stay  all  night,  and  where  I  wished  to  ])reach. 
\\'hen  we  got  there,  however,  I  was  obliged  to  put 


GEORGE  PAULL.  179 

off  the  preaching,  as  there  was  such  a  hubbub  on 
our  arrival  (about  7|  o'clock),  and  as  the  men  were 
tired  and  hungry,  and  I  myself  was  tired  and  had 
eaten  nothing  since  daylight.  When  we  got  into  a 
hut  I  stretched  myself  out  on  the  'bamboo  splits' 
to  rest,  while  the  boatmen  and  the  people  from  the 
town,  who  had  gathered  in,  kept  up  a  terrible  talk- 
ing. If  any  natives  are  near  there  is  no  quiet,  for 
they  are  incessant  talkers  and  talk  almost  at  tiie 
top  of  their  voices ;  their  nearness  to  the  sea  gives 
them,  I  suppose,  the  habit  of  loud  talking. 

"At  9  o'clock  the  women  brought  in  vsome  fish 
and  boiled  plantains  for  the  men,  and  in  an  almost 
incredibly  short  time  they  had  cut  up  ray  chicken 
and  boiled  it  in  a  pot,  and  now  I  had  it  smoking 
before  me.  The  legs  and  wings  and  neck  tasted 
very  savory  and  tender,  and  on  these  I  made  my 
supper  and  gave  the  rest  to  the  men.  They  found 
me  a  place  to  sleep — a  little  hut  which  was  new  and 
nice  enough,  but  only  about  ten  feet  square,  and 
with  no  hole  in  it  for  ventilation  or  for  the  escape 
of  smoke  but  the  dooi-.  It  was  used  for  parlor, 
bed-room  and  kitchen.  As  it  was  a  warm  night, 
and  the  fire  left  burning  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
and  as  I  must  of  necessity  shut  the  door  to  keep 
out  thieves,  I  could  scarcely  imagine  what  would 


180  GEORGE  PAULL. 

be  the  result  by  morning.  But  no  other  house 
could  be  found,  so  I  had  the  fire  put  out,  and, 
shutting  my  door,  I  laid  down  and  slept  pretty 
well  until  morning.  When  I  opened  my  door 
again  at  daylight,  I  saw  an  old  man  moving  about 
near  by,  and  from  him  I  got  some  water  to  wash 
my  face,  A\hicli  refreshed  me  as  much  as  my 
sleep. 

"Saturday,  August  20. — As  I  could  not  preach 
last  night,  I  got  the  peo^jle  together  this  morning 
about  8  o'clock  and  preached  to  them,  and  had  a 
solemn  and,  I  hope,  profitable  meeting.  Soon  we 
got  started  again  on  our  way  to  Little  Eloby,  where 
I  expected  to  spend  the  Sabbath  and  preach  to  the 
traders.  We  were  obliged  to  row  out  a  consider- 
able distance  from  the  point  so  as  to  catch  the 
wind,  but  the  tide  was  against  us  and  also  the 
wind.  After  rowing  a  considerable  distance  with 
great  difficulty,  and  after  breaking  one  oar,  the  men 
asked  me  to  let  them  put  in  to  shore  and  wait  for  a 
change  of  tide,  which  I  thought  it  better  to  do. 
When  we  landed  I  saw  a  little  town  on  the  hill 
above  the  beach.  So,  putting  a  couple  of  bananas 
and  as  many  biscuits  in  my  pocket  to  breakfast  on 
by  the  way,  I  took  the  interpreter  and  went  up  to 
preach   to   the   people.      When   we   got  there  we 


GEORGE  PAULL.  181 

fcund  all  the  people  away  but  one  woman,  but 
small  as  my  congregation  was  I  did  not  fail  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  her  in  as  plain  and  simple  a 
way  as  I  could.  She  said  Mr.  Clemens  had 
j)reached  to  them  once,  but  she  did  not  remember 
what  he  had  told  them. 

"After  change  of  tide  we  started  again,  and 
this  time  got  under  way,  though  with  some  diffi- 
culty, and  in  a  little  while  again  a  calm  fell  on  us, 
so  that  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  we  got 
under  full  sail  for  Eloby.  I  was  not  a  little  glad, 
however,  when,  about  8  o'clock  at  night,  we  landed 
at  Eloby  and  I  found  my  way  to  Mr.  Watson's 
house,  and  there  enjoyed  again  some  of  the  '  white 
man's '  cleanliness  and  comfort.  He  immediately 
sent  his  boys  to  get  me  some  coffee  and  ham  and 
eggs,  which  I  relished  after  my  cold  food,  and  es- 
pecially as  I  had  eaten  nothing  that  day  except  my 
biscuits  and  bananas  in  the  morning. 

"  The  five  or  six  traders  settled  on  this  little 
island  (about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference) 
live  very  comfortably  in  bachelor  style,  as  there 
are  no  white  ladies  in  this  part  of  Africa  except 
missionary  ladies.  They  have  good  houses  and 
plenty  of  goods  which  they  exchange  with  the  na- 
tives   for    India-rubber,  bass-wood,  ivory,  etc.,  as 


182  GEORGE  PAULL. 

tliey  bring  those  to  tlicm  from  the  mainland.  I 
was  aequaintetl  with  the  other  trailers  on  the  island, 
and  they  eanit  in  to  see  me  shortly  after  I  arrived 
at  Mr.  "Watson's. 

'^Sabbafliy  August  21. — This  morning  before  I 
got  up  I  heard  Mr.  Watson  calling  to  me  that  the 
mail  had  at  last  eoine — the  mail  for  whieh  we  had 
been  looking  for  the  last  twenty  days.  My  letters 
Avere  among  the  rest,  for  I  had  left  directions  to 
have  them  sent  to  Eloby  to  meet  me,  if  the  mail 
should  come  while  I  was  gone.  I  had  quite  a 
package — two  mails  in  one.  I  read  my  home 
letters  and  another  one,  but  the  rest  I  put  aside 
until  Monday.  I  spent  a  tolerably  quiet  and 
pleasant  Sabbath  here ;  the  .traders  met  and  I 
preached  to  them  as  plainly  and  pointedly  as  I 
could.  They  were  apparently  very  glad  to  have 
services,  and  when  preaching  was  over  one  of  them 
jiassed  a  hat  around  and  took  up  a  collection  for 
the  mission.  They  handed  me  five  dollars  in  sil- 
ver ;  I  suppose  each  man  gave  a  dollar. 

"Monday,  August  22. — Started  early  from  Eloby 
this  morning  and  reached  Corisco  about  noon.  It 
is  much  more  comfortable  on  land  than  tossing 
about  on  the  sea ;  but  we  are  not  to  study  comfort 
when  all  Africa  is  dying  for  the  lack  of  light. 


GEOBGE  PAULL.  183 

"Thursday,  September  1.— ^To-day  our  mail  for 
September  came,  and  although  I  had  scarcely 
digested  all  the  good  news  I  had  received  a  few 
days  before,  yet  I  gave  it  a  hearty  welcome.  We 
learn  by  this  mail  that  our  supplies  and  reinforce- 
ments will  be  likely  to  reach  us  by  the  last  of  the 
month.  It  will  be  a  great  day  when  a  ship  from 
America  lands  at  Corisco  and  brings  more  mission- 
aries. Dr.  Nassau  is  very  busy  fixing  up  every- 
thing about  his  premises  to  receive  his  wife.  I  am 
busy  rebuilding  the  boat-house  and  reroofing  part 
of  the  dwelling-house,  and  attending  to  everything 
that  is  to  be  done  before  the  rains  commence,  which 
will  be  about  the  15th  of  this  month.  Will  also 
have  to  take  an  inventory  of  all  the  mission  prop- 
erty, so  as  to  make  report  to  the  Board  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  and  also  to  put  in  order  the  store-house 
to  receive  the  new  supplies. 

^'Saturday,  September  3. — Spent  part  of  this  day 
dressing  up  and  cleaning  out  our  little  grave-yard, 
so  that  it  might  not  seem  overgrown  and  neglected 
when  Mr.  de  Heer  comes — his  wife  lies  buried 
there. 

"Sabhath,  4th . — Preached  at  Alongo.  Had  a  good 
turn-out,  about  forty-four  in  number,  and  among 
them  two  or  three  old  headmen.     At  night  I  con- 


1 84  GEORGE  I'A  ULL. 

ducted  the  services  for  Dr.  Nassau  at  Evangasimba. 
It  was  monthly  concert.  We  have  monthly  con- 
cert and  take  a  collection  on  the  first  Sabbath  of 
every  month. 

"  Our  heavenly  Father  has  kept  me  thus  far  in 
remarkably  good  health,  much  better,  indeed,  than 
is  common  for  new-comers,  however  I  dare  not 
boast,  but  should  be  humble  and  thankful. 

"  I  could  scarcely  venture  so  long  a  letter  as  this 
for  any  place  but  home,  lest  it  would  seem  a  weari- 
some task  to  read  it ;  but  I  can  trust  that  you  will 
not  grow  weary  of  it,  unless  by  some  means  I  have 
failed  to  make  it  interesting.  I  shall  not  always 
write  you  at  so  great  length,  but  as  long  as  I  live 
and  my  parents  live  I  hope. to  write  regularly, 
and  at  some  length,  too,  if  by  this  means  I  can 
afford  any  gratification  to  them.  This  is  probably 
the  only  means  left  me,  or  the  only  way  that  I 
shall  ever  have  of  contributing  to  their  enjoyment 
or  comfort.  And  whatever  time  I  may  spend  in 
this  way  I  shall  look  upon  as  time  well  and  accept- 
ably spent. 

"  We  are  looking  for  Mr.  de  Heer,  Mrs. 
Clemens  and  ISIrs.  Nassau  about  the  last  of  this 
month ;  we  have  heard  from  them  and  of  their 
arrival  on  the  coast,  a  good  piece  north,  about  Li- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  185 

beria.  It  will  be  a  very  busy  time  when  the 
vessel  reaches  here.  There  are  many  of  my  friends 
to  whom  I  would  be  glad  to  write,  but  I  find  if  I 
carry  on  a  large  correspondence,  it  will  consume  a 
great  amount  of  my  tjme  which  I  cannot  conscien- 
tiously spare  from  my  work  here.  I  have  never 
been  able  to  get  a  letter  off  to  my  old  friends  at 
Morrison,  Illinois,  until  this  mail.  It  was  a 
shame  to  neglect  any  who  have  been  so  kind  to  me 
for  so  long  a  time,  but  it  seemed  unavoidable. 

"yli6(/M.S'^  23. — Conducted  the  prayer-meeting  at 
Evangasimba;  spoke  to  the  people  on  the  healing 
of  blind  Bartimeus.  Gave  out  the  hymn, '  Awake, 
and  sing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb.' 
While  waiting  for  Mrs.  Mackey  to  raise  the  tune, 
my  ears  were  surprised  to  hear  some  sweet  strains 
coming  from  another  quarter  of  the  house.  It  was 
from  the  little  girls  of  the  school — about  twenty  in 
number,  and  most  of  them  from  ten  to  fourteen 
years  of  age.  They  had  commenced  to  the  tune  of 
'  There'll  be  no  more  sorrow  there,'  and  with  their 
soft  young  voices  they  made  music  so  sweet  that 
my  heart  was  melted  almost  to  tears.  In  the  dark- 
ness of  a  heathen  land,  to  hear  the  praise  of  Jesus 
sung  so  sweetly  makes  one  dream  of  heaven. 

^'Aurjusf  29. — Preached  yesterday  at  Alongo  on 


186  GEORGE  PAULL. 

'Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  for  why  Avill  ye  die?'  Not  a 
very  large  congregation.  Preached  in  the  after- 
noon at  Xgume's  town,  on  '  Whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely.'  Fever  took 
hold  of  nie  slightly  in  tiie  afternoon,  probably  the 
effects  of  my  Kombe  trip.  The  fever  is  also  on  me 
to-day,  with  headache  and  a  sore  eye.  Last  night 
I  was  restless.  Have  set  the  men  at  the  boat- 
house  this  morning  to  repair  it. 

"September  16. — llccovcred  to-day  from  my 
fourth  attack  of  fever.  All  have  been  light,  last- 
ing only  a  few  days  at  most,  and  only  producing  a 
feeling  of  inexpressible  worthlessness." 

In  a  letter  dated  Corisco,  October  5,  1864,  to  his 
brother  James,  Mr.  Paull  writes  :  "  The  friendship 
of  any  that  have  been  my  true  friends  I  find  has  not 
grown  weaker  by  my  being  so  far  away  ;  nor  do  I 
believe  it  ever  will.  But  even  if  it  did,  this  much 
I  know — that  I  could  still  be  happy  here  in  my 
work,  and  in  the  comforts  God  can  and  does  bestow, 
were  I  assured  that  I  had  not  a  friend  on  eartii. 
They  greatly  mistake  who  think  it  a  dry  and 
dreary  life  to  be  a  Christian.  If  it  is  dry  and 
dreary  to  be  full  of  peace,  to  be  perfectly  contented 
and  happy  wherever  God  places  you  or  with  what- 
evei   he  sends  you,  to  be  ready  for  either  life  or 


GEORGE  FAULL.  187 

deatli,  rather  indeed  preferring  to  die  than  to 
live,  then  it  is  dry  and  dreary  to  be  a  Christian. 
If  yon  are  not  one  yet,  Jim,  this  will  be  like  hold- 
ing up  a  beautiful  flower  and  discnssing  its  form 
and  varied  colors  to  a  blind  boy ;  you  will  neither 
see  nor  appreciate  what  I  have  said.  You  think 
yonr  pleasures  now  are  delightfnl ;  so  does  every 
one  of  your  age ;  but  when  you  become  a  Christian 
you  will  wish  that  you  had  let  them  go  to  the  wind, 
and  that  you  had  sought  with  all  your  heart  the  joy 
which  is  so  much  purer.  Begin  to  look  heavenward 
with  all  your  heart ;  be  in  earnest." 

To  his  parents : 

"  EvANGASiMBA  STATION,  October  20,  1864. 

"  This  morning  we  got  our  mail  away  to  Gaboon, 
and  I  am  determined  not  to  delay  my  letter-writ- 
ing so  long.  I  would  like  to  make  ray  letters  for 
home  a  record  of  current  events.  The  pressure  of 
business  is  over,  and  1  am  beginning  to  think  of 
getting  ready  for  my  monthly  trip  to  the  stations 
on  the  mainland,  and  also  of  taking  up  again  in 
earnest  the  study  of  the  Benga. 

"  I  saddled  Charley  this  afternoon,  and  took  a 
ride  to  Alongo  to  see  how  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer 
were  getting  on  in  their  new  home.  As  I  rode 
along    the    white   and    glistening   beach  I   saw   a 


188  GEORGE  PAULL. 

fine  picture  of  African  life.  Just  by  a  clus- 
ter of  cocoanut  trees  a  batch  of  people  Avere 
lounging  on  the  sand,  half  in  the  sun  and  half 
in  the  shade.  Some  one  had  exerted  him- 
self and  pulled  some  cocoanuts,  so  the  rest  and 
he  together  were  enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  la- 
bor. They  seemed  to  be  happy  as  kings  as  they 
lounged  on  the  sand,  drinking  the  rich  milk  that 
the  cocoanut  gives  without  labor  or  price.  One 
cocoanut  was  left  as  I  rode  among  them,  Avhich 
they  gave  me,  tearing  off  the  thick  outer  husk  so 
that  I  could  easily  get  at  the  milk.  After  drinking 
my  draught,  and  promising  the  boy  who  gave  it 
some  pay  when  he  came  to  Evangasimba,  I  rode  on 
to  Mr.  De  Heer's. 

^^  Monday,  October  24. — Yesterday  was  my  day 
to  preach  at  Gobi.  On  my  M-ay  I  saw  what  the 
Psalmist  meant  when  he  spoke  of  ^the  dark  places 
of  the  earth  being  full  of  the  habitations  of  cru- 
elty,' and  also  I  understood  better  the  thought  that 
was  in  Paul's  mind  when  he  spoke  of  the  heathen 
as  being 'past  feeling.'  A  little  fellow  about  ten 
years  old  was  lying  on  the  sand  of  the  beach  cry- 
ing with  all  his  might.  Three  almost  grow)i  men 
had  hold  of  his  arms  and  legs  and  were  scraping 
and  scouring  him  (for  he  was  almost  covered  with 


GEORGE  PAULL.  189 

sand)  with  pieces  of  bamboo  as  you  woula  a  pig. 
The  fellows  left  off  their  work  as  I  came  up  and 
commenced  to  explain  that  he  was  sick,  and  this 
was  their  manner  of  cure;  and  I  suppose  this  is 
the  usual  way  of  curing  such  diseases,  but  it  makes 
one's  blood  run  cold  to  think  of  its  cruelty.  The 
little  fellow  was  covered  with  scabs  and  sores,  and 
these  they  scraped  with  their  sticks  and  sand  until 
blood  was  coming  from  every  sore ;  then  they  sent 
him  witli  his  fresh  and  bleeding  wounds  to  wash 
in  the  salt  sea.  My  heart  bled  for  the  little  fellow, 
but  the  chief  work  was  done  when  I  got  there. 
They  seem  to  have  no  tenderness  of  feeling,  no 
sympathy  with  suffering;  their  hearts  seem  to  be 
blunted  by  sin  until  they  are  hard  as  a  rock. 
These  skin  diseases  are  remarkably  common 
among  the  people,  and  are  among  the  most 
pitiful  and  sickening  sights  that  one  meets  with. 
I  suppose  they  are  brought  on  by  their  abomi- 
nable lives.  Some  of  them  live  like  beasts,  and 
are  besotted  with  almost  every  crime.  Sometimes 
I  have  seen  their  noses  eaten  away,  their  bodies 
and  limbs  shriveled  up  at  times.  Often  I  see 
great  and  incurable  ulcers  in  different  parts  of 
the  body,  and  a  sort  of  leprosy  is  common  among 
them    which    makes    their    appearance    loathsome. 


190  GEORGE  PAULL. 

Hundreds  of  years  yet  to  come  may  not  do 
away  with  these  terrible  sights.  Little  by  little, 
as  they  learn  to  know  the  great  Physician  and 
seek  his  balm  to  heal  the  heart,  many  of  their 
bodily  ills  will  pass  away,  for  a  pure  heart  will 
make  a  holy  life,  and  it  is  their  impure  life  that 
brings  their  diseases. 

"  Men  at  home  do  not  know  anything  of  Af- 
rica's sorrows.  Poor  people !  the  heart  that  sees 
them  can  pity,  but  they  need  more  than  pity. 
Strong  hands  and  kind  hearts  are  needed — they 
are  needed  here  by  the  score — who  Avill  point 
them  to  better  things  and  help  them  to  rise  up 
and  enjoy  them.  America,  looking  back  from  this 
land,  gives  one  a  peculiar  feeling.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  convince  one's  self  that  ministers  or  Chris- 
tians there  do  one  tithe  of  what  they  ought  to  for 
this  wretched  people.  The  land  at  home  seems  full 
of  ministers,  who  crowd  and  jostle  each  other  to 
get  a  little  flock  to  whom  they  may  give  the  bread 
of  life,  but  they  forget  to  turn  and  look  for  a  mo- 
ment this  way,  where  mighty  hosts  of  these  miser- 
able people  are  starving  to  death  for  lack  of  this 
very  bread  which  they  could  so  easily  spare. 

"  Thursday,  October  27. — This  is  one  of  Africa's 
most  beautiful  mornings.     The  thermometer  stands 


GEORGE  PAULL.  191 

between  75°  and  80°,  and  the  dryness  of  the  air 
has  been  moistened  and  cooled  by  last  night's  rain. 
It  is  such  mornings  as  these  that  make  one  think 
Corisco  almost  a  paradise.  The  plantains  all  around 
with  their  great  leaves  wave  and  rustle  in  the 
breeze,  and  the  orange  trees  begin  to  give  forth  a 
fragrant  smell,  for  they  are  just  now  laden  with 
delicate  white  blossoms  and  with  the  new  growth 
of  buds  and  leaves,  and  the  lemon  trees  are  full 
of  rich  green  fruit,  just  a  little  more  than  formed. 
The  wild  flowers,  too,  are  springing  all  around, 
and  every  footpath  is  made  beautiful  with  them. 
Over  the  tree-tops  clamber  thousands  of  vines 
bearing  a  rich  burden  of  beautiful  bell-shaped 
flowers;  and  the  great  African  lilies  are  putting 
out  here  and  there  in  two  or  three  different  vari- 
eties. Indeed  everything,  since  the  rains  are  com- 
ing, is  beginning  to  look  beautiful  and  bright,  and 
the  air  is  almost  enchanting,  just  warm  enough  to 
be  pleasant,  and  kept  fresh  by  a  constant  breeze 
from  the  sea.  If  anything  else  is  needed  to  add 
to  the  pleasantness  of  this  African  home,  then  we 
have  it  in  the  songs  of  the  birds  which  throng 
every  bush  and  tree  in  hosts  almost  innumerable, 
and  warble  forth  their  constant  songs  sweeter  and 
richer,  I  think,  than  any  I  have  ever  heard  before. 


192  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"The  wife  of  my  old  friend  Nqurae  came  this 
morning  carrying  a  chicken  and  a  bunch  of  plan- 
tains, but  she  would  not  sell  them  to  Mrs.  Mackey. 
She  said  Nqume  had  sent  them  as  a  clash  (a  pres- 
ent) to  'Pauloo.'  It  is  usually  very  nice  to  receive 
presents,  but  the  case  is  somewhat  different  among 
this  people :  thoy  think  that  every  good  turn  de- 
serves another  and  a  far  better.  If  they  give  you 
a  little  thing  they  expect  a  big  one  in  return.  So 
as  Xqume's  wife  went  away  she  very  quietly  took 
hold  of  her  cloth  or  dress,  and  pointing  to  it  said 
that  it  was  all  she  had,  intimating  that  a  new  dress 
would  be  a  very  acceptable  present.  So  I  suppose 
I  shall  have  to  give  her  one.  I  gave  Nqume  a 
cloth  some  time  ago,  and  he  immediately  suggested 
that  he  would  like  to  have  some  tobacco,  and  not 
long  after  he  modestly  hinted  that  he  ought  to  have 
a  new  hat  also. 

"The  people  need  but  little  clothing;  the  usual 
dress  of  both  men  and  women  is  simply  a  piece  of 
cotton  cloth  or  calico  wrapped  about  them.  This, 
with  a  string  of  beads  and  an  old  hat,  if  they  can 
get  one  (though  they  are  usually  bareheaded),  com- 
pletes the  outfit.  Some  are  beginning  to  wear 
shirts,  which  are  made  up  by  the  girls  in  the 
mission,  and  some  of  those  who  have  been  under 


GEOPME  PAULL.  193 

the  instruction  of  the  mission  wear  coat  and  pants. 
If  one  of  the  old  headmen  gets  a  present  of  a  coat 
or  hat  he  will  wear  it  on  particular  occasions,  but 
not  ordinarily. 

"As  I  rode  up  to  Gobi  last  Sabbath  I  met  old 
Peter,  the  oldest  headman,  perhaps,  on  the  island, 
and  the  one  who  was  heir  to  the  throne  when  the 
last  king  died,  but  he  refused  the  honor.  Peter 
is  a  little  round-headed,  funny-looking  man,  and 
when  I  met  him  he  was  dressed  in  his  Sunday 
suit,  which  made  him  look  all  the  more  odd.  He 
had  a  big  silk  hat,  a  little  worse  for  the  wear  and 
somewhat  dinged,  a  tremendous  large  coat  made  of 
heavy  cloth  and  reaching  to  his  knees,  looked  like 
an  overcoat,  and  this  he  had  buttoned.  Thus  he 
trudged  along  thinking  himself  finely  dressed, 
though  he  was  barefooted  and  barelegged  to  the 
knees. 

"November  1, — I  would  have  been  away  to-day 
on  my  trip  to  the  mainland,  but  concluded  to  wait 
another  day  for  the  mail.  We  saw  the  French 
steamer  on  her  way  to  Gaboon.  We  are  all  anxious 
to  get  our  letters. 

"  I  received  by  the  last  mail  a  note  from  Dr. 
Plunier.  He  says,  '  I  forewarned  you,  I  believe, 
that  your  correspondence  would  fail  to  come  up  to 

13 


194  GEORGE  PAULL. 

time.  Jehov^ah  Jirch' — the  Lord  will  provide. 
So  I  find  it — the  Lord  provides :  and  I  would  not 
fear  any  lack  of  happiness,  come  what  might. 

"Lizzie  in  her  long  letter  of  July  26  gives  me 
an  account  of  the  celebration  of  the  4th,  and  very 
vividly  the  whole  picture  comes  up  before  me.  I 
remember  everything  about  home  with  strange 
distinctness.  Every  hill  and  valley,  every  farm 
and  field,  every  tree  and  shrub  and  rivulet  stands 
out  so  clearly  in  my  mind  that  I  seem  to  walk 
among  them  again.  The  features  of  every  face  are 
clear,  and  every  voice  sounds  distinctly,  so  that  I 
seem  to  be  walking  and  talking  among  you  as  of 
old.  It  seems  but  a  step  home  again,  and  I  often 
pass  through  the  front  gate  and  up  the  yard,  and 
into  the  house,  and  through  every  room  and  out 
again  into  the  orchard  or  through  the  fields.  All 
this  gives  me  pleasure,  but  I  am  not  unhappy  when 
I  come  to  myself  and  find  that  my  home  is  here. 
On  the  contrary,  my  happiness  is  truer  and  j)urer 
here,  at  my  sacred  work  in  this  dark  land,  than 
ever  it  has  been  in  my  life  before.  If  God  takes 
away  some  comforts,  he  well  knows  how  to  replace 
them  with  others  which  are  fourfold  richer  and 
better.  It  is  a  good  God  that  we  serve;  all  tiie 
treasures  of  his  storehouse  are  thrown  open  to  us 


GEORGE  PAULL.  195 

when  we  draw  near  to  him.  Honey  is  not  sweeter 
than  is  the  love  of  Christ,  when  we  keep  near  to 
him  and  constrain  him  by  our  importunity  to  abide 
with  us. 

"  My  privations  have  not  been  very  great,  nor 
have  I  been  called  on  to  make  sacrifices  such  as 
many  other  missionaries  have  made — at  least  not 
such  sacrifices  as  the  world  will  ever  know  of — 
but  such  as  they  are,  already  it  seems  to  me  accord- 
ing to  the  promise,  a  'hundred-fold'  has  been 
returned  in  spiritual  blessings;  and  the  promise  of 
'life  everlasting'  with  its  infinite  fullness  is  yet  to 
be  made  good.  Happy  are  we  whose  God  is  the 
Lord.  People  of  the  world  who  know  nothing  of 
the  love  of  Christ  think  us  fools  for  rejoicing  in 
him,  but  I  think  I  can  say  that  I  am  perfectly 
willing  to  be  called  a  fool  for  his  sake.  It  is  no 
hazardous  venture  when  we  stake  everything  for 
time  and  eternity  on  the  love  and  faithfulness  of 
Christ;  but  we  only  know  this  when  we  have  made 
the  venture. 

"  I  am  glad  to  learn  that  father's  health  is  so 
much  better  and  that  everything  about  home  is  so 
prosperous  and  cheering.  It  was  one  of  our  gloomy 
forebodings  when  I  thought  of  becoming  a  mission- 
ary that  his  health  might  fail,  and  when  I  would  be 


196  GEORGE  PAULL. 

most  needed  at  IiDiue  1  N\H)uld  be  fur  away  among 
the  heathen.  But  divine  faithfulness  erowns  every 
6tep  in  the  path  of  duty  with  blessings;  his  health, 
instead  of  failing,  has  only  grown  better,  and  we 
will  pray  that  it  may  still  continue  to  do  so.  I  am 
sorry  to  know  that  Mr.  Burnet  (pastor  at  C.)  is  so 
feeble  as  to  walk  on  crutches.  He  has  often  been 
in  my  mind,  and  I  trust  I  have  sometimes  been  in 
his  prayers.  It  is  pleasant  to  hope  that  the  Chris- 
tians about  home,  for  whom  I  have  a  warmer 
regard  than  ever,  sometimes  remember  me  when 
they  pray.  Aunt  E.'s  troubles  are  very  sore.  I 
suppose  she  is  weighed  down  with  sorrow  and  can 
hardly  read  aright  the  lesson  that  God  is  teaching 
her — '  AVhom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth.'  If 
this  is  the  way  we  are  permitted  to  look  at  our 
sorrows,  then  the  burden  becomes  light,  and  we  are 
tempted  to  say,  '  If  by  our  sorrows  we  may  know 
that  thou  dost  love  us,  then,  O  Lord,  let  them 
come !' 

"  Our  mail  came  this  evening,  bringing  a  good 
long  letter  from  mother,  which  was  full  of  satisfac- 
tion, as  her  letters  always  are.  As  a  correspondent 
I  fear  that  none  of  us,  her  children,  will  ever  equal 
her.  A  short  letter  also  came  from  Mr.  Mackey, 
and  it  gave  us  no  little  joy  to  know  that  he  is  now 


GEORGE  PAULL.  197 

on  his  way  back  to  Corisco,  and  will  doubtless  be 
here  by  the  next  mail.  This  will  free  rae  from  the 
secular  Avork,  and  tlien  I  will  be  a  missionary.  I 
had  a  letter  from  E-ev.  W.  Thompson,  in  Glasgow, 
telling  me  that  he  expects  to  bring  a  wife  out  with 
him  to  Calabar.  I  met  the  lady  in  Scotland. 
African  life  will  be  a  change  for  her,  as  she  lived 
in  splendid  style,  with  every  comfort  that  she  could 
desire,  in  Glasgow.  Since  my  letters  have  come,  I 
start  on  my  trip  to-morrow  morning  to  visit  the 
stations  on  the  mainland. 

"  November  2. — Started  to-day  for  Kombe  and 
Benita;  reached  Iloby  and  stayed  over  night. 

"  November  3. — Reached  Aje  and  spent  the  night; 
preached  to  a  full  house. 

"November  4. — Reached  Hanje  and  spent  the 
night. 

"  November  5. — Reached  Benita — preached. 

"  November  6. — Preached  in  three  towns  at 
Benita — placed  Mbata  there.  Everything  prom- 
ising. 

"  November  9. — Reached  home  to-night.  Landed 
on  the  east  side  and  took  tea  with  Mrs.  De  Heer. 

"November  19. — I  have  not  written  since  my 
return  from  the  mainland,  and  I  will  not  say  any- 
thing of  the  trip  now.     I  am  very  well ;   surely  I 


198  GEORGE  PAULL. 

never  was  in  better  health.  Dr.  Nassau  remarked 
to-night  that  I  looked  younj^er  than  when  I  came. 
I  vij^ited  ]\Ir.  De  Ileer  the  other  day  to  give  them 
some  account  of  my  mainland  trip.  They  are 
greatly  interested  in  the  mainland  work,  and  ex- 
pect to  go  there  when  Mr.  Clark  comes.  My  own 
0})inion  and  the  oi)inion  of  the  rest  of  the  mission- 
aries is,  that  the  mainland  is  just  as  healthy  as 
Corisco.  The  traders  that  live  on  the  coast  have 
just  as  good  health  as  we.  There  is  a  mighty  and 
a  noble  work  to  do  here;  other  generations  for 
hundreds  of  years  to  come  may  find  an  outlet  to 
their  zeal  here,  and  I  pray  that  the  zeal  in  each 
coming  generation  may  be  a  thousand-fold  greater 
than  it  is  now.  If  Christ  is  to  get  his  inheritance 
among  the  heathen  soon,  then  Christian  parents 
must  begin  to  teach  their  children  to  love  missions 
at  home  around  the  fireside:  there  is  where  mis- 
sionaries grow.  If  the  claims  of  the  heathen  and 
their  deep  wretchedness  become  a  common  topic 
around  every  Christian  fireside,  and  if  constant 
prayer  also  is  made  to  God  for  them,  then  the  next 
generation  will  see  multitudes  of  earnest  hearts 
hastening  to  heathen  shores,  where  there  is  now 
but  a  lone  traveler. 

"  November  20. — I  write  a  few  lines  to  close  my 


GEORGE  FAULL  199 

letter  to-night  and  give  you  the  latest  possible 
word.  We  have  just  come  in  from  evening  services 
at  the  church,  which  is  at  one  end  of  our  yard. 
We  have  been  greatly  troubled  with  thieves  of 
late  stealing  chickens  and  plantains.  Mrs.  Maciiey 
came  out  of  church  this  evening  for  a  moment  and 
saw  a  fellow  passing  along  in  the  dark  by  the 
house.  We  found  his  tracks  when  we  came  home, 
but  that  will  not  amount  to  much  without  the  thief. 
We  have  the  house  and  grounds  all  surrounded 
with  a  fence  of  sharp  and  strong  pickets,  but  still 
they  get  in.  They  almost  think  it  no  harm  to  steal, 
particularly  from  white  people;  for  they  think 
their  goods  and  property  come  to  them  for  nothing. 
"  Our  ears  have  been  stunned  this  evening,  and 
indeed  for  several  days,  by  a  great  drumming  and 
noise  at  a  town  near  by.  The  headman  of  the  town 
is  sick,  and  the  people  are  trying  to  drive  away  the 
evil  spirit  that  has  made  him  sick.  They  dance 
and  halloo  and  beat  their  drums,  and  make  the  sick 
man  dance  as  long  as  he  is  able.  This  is  a  part  of 
their  medicine  for  sick  people.  I  went  to  Gobi 
to-day  to  preach.  As  it  rained  nearly  all  day  I 
scarcely  expected  anybody  out,  but  I  was  surprised 
and  glad  to  find  twenty-five  or  thirty  there  from  the 
towns." 


200  GEORGE  I'AULL. 

"NOVEMHER,  1864. 

"  I  proini.sed  to  send  you  some  little  sketch  of 
my  last  trip  to  the  mainland.  Perhaps  it  may  be 
of  some  interest,  or  at  least  entertain  you  a  little; 
and  if  it  does  this  it  is  well,  for  this  is  almost  the 
only  possible  way  left  me  of  contributing  to  your 
enjoyment.  Making  these  trips  every  month  or  six 
weeks  is  now  my  regular  business;  and  I  really 
like  the  woi'k  better  than  anything  else.  It  is  mis- 
sionary work,  preaching  the  gospel  to  those  who 
have  never  heard  it,  talking  to  inquirers,  and  try- 
ing to  help  and  encourage  the  scattered  Christians 
that  I  find.  This  trip  was  partly  M'ith  the  design 
of  establishing  a  new  station  up  the  coast  some- 
where, which  I  did  at  the  mouth  of  the  Benita 
River,  about  fifty  miles  north  from  here. 

"  I  started  November  2,  after  getting  the  Gaboon 
mail-boat  away,  which  had  brought  our  letters  the 
night  before,  Mrs.  INIackey  packed  me  a  box  of 
])rovisions,  a  more  plentiful  supply  than  I  had  the 
last  time;  and  it  shall  be  even  more  plentiful  the 
next  time,  for  I  find  that  every  comfort  is  just  so 
much  of  a  saving  to  the  health.  Mrs.  Mackey,  who 
is  a  willing  and  abundant  provider,  put  up  collee 
and  sugar  and  tea  and  a  little  pot  to  make  them  in. 
I  had  greally  missed  the  warm  drink  on  the  last 


■    GEORGE  FAULL.  201 

trip,  doing  without  it  nearly  a  week.  I  had  also  a 
supply  of  beef  and  ham  and  bread  ;  the  eggs  and 
chickens  that  I  needed  were  easy  to  get  on  the  way. 
Mrs.  Clemens  added  to  'ny  stock  a  little  jar  of  jelly 
and  one  of  maple  molasses,  and  they  proved  a 
most  valuable  addition.  A  couple  of  shawls  and  a 
pillov/  I  took  for  sleeping  on,  an  overcoat  also  and 
umbrella  for  protection  against  the  rain,  and  a 
change  of  clean  linen.  In  a  box  I  stowed  knives 
and  cloth  and  shirts  and  lish-hooks,  etc.,  for  buy- 
ing food  for  the  men,  and  whatever  the  natives  on 
the  way  might  wish  to  sell. 

"  With  five  boatmen,  and  Andike  for  an  inter- 
preter, and  several  passengers  who  asked  to  go 
along  to  see  friends  on  the  mainland,  we  got  away 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  time  I  es- 
caped seasickness  and  felt  tolerably  comfortable  all 
the  way.  Andike  had  with  him  a  bundle  of  hot 
conchs  or  shell  fish  M'hich  his  wife  had  cooked  for 
him,  and  of  which  the  people  are  very  fond.  He 
handed  some  of  them  to  me,  of  Avhich  I  ate  one  or 
two  (they  are  as  large  as  an  oyster),  and  found  them 
rich  as  butter.  They  are  a  great  article  of  food 
with  the  people.  At  every  low  tide  you  see  hun- 
dreds of  women  out  in  search  of  them.  About 
3  o'clock  we  reached  Large  Eloby,  where  Ave  have  a 


202  GEORGE  PAULL. 

gtation,  but  I  only  stopped  a  few  moments,  expect- 
ing to  return  that  way. 

"  Having  the  mission  accounts  to  settle  with  the 
traders  on  Little  Eloby,  I  went  on  there  and  spent 
the  night.  After  breakfast  on  Thursday,  3d,  I  got 
off  to  Aje,  my  next  stopping-place.  One  of  our 
passengers  was  the  wife  of  Imunga,  the  brother  of 
the  king  on  Corisco,  but  virtually  the  king  himself. 
To  give  you  an  idea  of  queenly  attire  in  Africa,  I 
will  describe  her  dress.  Her  hair  was  platted  up 
in  a  heavy,  greasy  roll  on  the  top  of  her  head,  and 
on  this  rested  an  old  hat  (man's  hat),  made  secure 
to  the  hair  with  an  iron  pin  six  or  eight  inches 
long.  Around  her  neck  were  some  strings  of 
beads.  On  her  ankles  and  wrists  were,  I  think, 
just  one  hundred  and  forty  brass  and  copper  rings. 
Besides  these  she  wore  a  large  cloth  such  as 
I  have  before  described.  This  was  her  complete 
attire. 

"About  3  o'clock  we  reached  Aje,  and  anchored 
in  the  mouth  of  the  little  river.  I  went  to  our 
mission-house,  where  Mackendenga  and  Ilanga,  the 
Scripture  readers,  live.  After  taking  a  rest,  they  got 
ready  something  for  the  men  and  myself  to  eat. 
They  seem  to  understand  that  a  chicken  is  almost 
the  only  part  of  native  food  that  a  white  man  rel- 


GEORGE  FAULL.  203 

ishes,  so  they  immediately  suggest  one  and  get  it 
ready.  Their  plan  of  cooking  is  simply  to  boil  in 
an  iron  pot  until  thoroughly  cooked,  and  then  sea- 
son with  cayenne  pepper,  which  grows  abundantly 
here.  They  bring  the  chicken  on  a  plate  and  the 
broth  in  the  bowl.  The  broth  would  be  delicious 
and  savory  if  it  were  not  so  terribly  hot  with  pep- 
per. The  men  usually  eat  at  the  same  little  tables 
with  me.  They  have  a  wash-basin  full  of  unguesa 
(sliced  cassada),  which  looks  like  cold  sliced  pota- 
toes. They  dip  their  fingers  into  the  dish,  and  eat 
this  along  with  some  hot  fish  and  a  part  of  my 
chicken,  which  they  never  refuse. 

"  It  is  a  strange  custom  these  people  have — when- 
ever you  sit  down  to  eat  every  one  else  not  eating 
immediately  goes  out  of  the  house  and  stays  away 
until  you  are  done.  There  is  a  natural  dislike 
among  them  to  have  any  one  see  them  eat.  An- 
other thing  I  notice,  and  I  believe  it  is  a  universal 
custom  in  Africa,  they  never  eat  a  morsel  of  food 
without  taking  some  water  afterward  and  washing 
their  mouths.  They  all  have  good  and  beautiful 
teeth,  too,  so  the  one  seems  to  be,  partly  at  least, 
the  consequence  of  the  other.  I  heard  great  com- 
plaints here  about  the  elephants  coming  into  their 
iiirms    and    destroying    their   plantains,    and    they 


204  GEORGE  PAULL. 

do    not  know   how  to  cope   with   so   immense  an 
enemy. 

"  In  the  evening  the  bell  was  rung  (a  large 
dinner  bell),  and  jNIackendenga  lighted  the  long 
roll  of  resin,  which  burns  like  our  rosin  and  is 
the  chief  native  light  (there  is  a  tree  here  which 
yields  it  abundantly),  and  the  pco[)lc  began  to 
gather  for  service.  Soon  all  the  seats  were  full 
and  still  the  people  came ;  benches  were  brought 
in  and  they  were  all  filled,  until  there  was  room 
for  no  more  in  the  house.  Then  the  people  gath- 
ered about  the  door  and  in  the  little  yard  in  front 
of  the  house  until  all  available  space  was  occupied. 
So  I  preached  to  them  as  they  sat  crowded  together 
in  the  dim  light,  and  as  they  stood  about  the  door 
waiting  to  hear.  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  had 
better  attention  than  from  these  dusky  children  of 
sorrow,  with  minds  even  darker  than  their  skins,  as 
I  opened  the  news  to  them  of  a  fountain  for  sin 
and  uncleanness,  for  sorrow  and  every  human  Moe, 
and  invited  them  to  come  and  drink  freely  without 
money.  I  had  a  fine  interpreter,  and  preached  with 
great  comfort  and  interest  on  my  whole  trip,  for 
there  is  no  work  that  I  enjoy  like  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  poor.  My  old  interpreter  I  have 
exchanged  for  another  (Andike);  you  will  see  his 


GEORGE  PAULL.  205 

name  in  tlie  Foreign  Missionary,  often,  as  a  licen- 
tiate and  elder  of  the  Church.  He  interprets  with 
great  fluency,  and  has  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
English  than  almost  any  other  native. 

^^  Friday,  4th. — Eight  o'clock  I  got  away  for 
Hanje.  I  could  find  no  hot  water  to  make  cof- 
fee, so  I  breakfasted  on  boiled  duck  eggs  and  soda 
crackers,  with  a  little  of  Mrs.  Clemens'  maple  syrup. 
At  prayers,  before  starting,  I  had  a  full  house  again. 
I  read  and  explained  the  Scriptures.  The  wife  of 
the  headman  at  this  place  hopes  she  is  a  Christian, 
and  wishes  to  unite  with  the  church. 

"About  noon  we  reached  Hanje,  where  Jumba 
and  Etiane  are  the  Scripture  readers.  We  were 
obliged  to  anchor  out  from  the  shore  on  account 
of  rocks,  and  a  canoe  came  off  for  us.  When  we 
went  ashore  a  crowd  of  people  followed  to  tlie 
mission-house  to  sit  and  hear  the  news,  for  they 
have  notliing  to  do  but  sit  about  all  day,  and 
wherever  there  is  the  least  excitement  they  speed- 
ily follow  it.  After  a  while  they  brought  iu  native 
baskets  and  w^ooden  spoons  and  melanga  to  sell, 
some  of  which  I  bought.  When  we  went  in  I 
saw  that  Jumba  had  a  chicken  tied  by  the  leg  in 
one  corner  of  the  house ;  this  he  soon  carried  out 
and  cooked  for  dinner.     Here  I  at  last  got  some 


206  GEORGE  PAULL. 

hot  water  to  make  coffee,  and  this  I  relished,  for 
boating  is  terribly  hard  work  on  the  stomach,  and 
some  warm  drink  saves  much  discomfort.  I  could 
scarcely  call  my  mixture  coffee,  though  it  tasted 
like  excellent  coffee  to  me.  It  was  hot  water 
j)oured  on  some  ground  coffee.  This,  after  it 
had  stood  a  few  minutes,  I  poured  out  and  sweet- 
ened and  drank  without  cream. 

"I  spent  an  hour  or  two  after  dinner  up  in  that 
beautiful  and  solemn  palm  grove  I  spoke  of  on 
my  other  trip.  Jumba  paddled  me  up  in  a  canoe. 
At  the  foot  of  one  of  the  tall  trees  I  found  four  or 
five  men  lying,  and,  looking  up,  I  saw  another  in 
the  top  of  the  tree  gathering  palm  wine.  They 
tap  the  tree  in  the  top  and  then  fasten  a  great  jug 
there,  into  which  the  wine  runs.  Every  day  or  so 
some  one  goes  up  and  dips  out  the  wine,  when  it  is 
brought  dowai  and  divided.  It  is  almost  of  a  milk- 
■\vhite  appearance,  and  will  intoxicate  after  it  be- 
comes a  little  old.  The  natives  drink  great  quan- 
tities of  it,  but  I  believe  that  the  rum  which  the 
traders  bring  to  the  coast  is  fast  taking  its  place; 
death  and  destruction  the  traders  are  scattering  in 
their  path. 

"  After  a  good  sleep  and  a  comfortable  breakfast 
and   prayers,  we  got  away  Saturday,  5th,  for  the 


GEORGE  PAULL.  207 

Benita  River.  We  had  to  go  out  to  the  boat  in  a 
canoe,  and  these  are  uncomfortable  to  ride  in,  being 
like  an  egg-shell,  and  a  trifle  will  topple  them  over. 
Just  as  I  got  in  the  canoe  a  breaker  struck  it  and 
tumbled  me  over,  but  I  fell  inside  and  not  in  the 
water.  After  we  got  part  way  up  the  coast  to  Benita 
a  man  paddled  out  to  us  in  a  canoe,  who  had  with  him 
a  little  boy  that  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before, 
and  he  evidently  thought  me  a  strange  being,  for  he 
began  to  cry  and  seemed  to  beg  his  father  to  take 
him  away  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  man  had 
never  heard  of  God,  nor  of  Christ,  and  as  I  had 
the  Gospel  of  John,  in  Benga,  lying  near  by  me  I 
read  to  him,  '  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave,' 
etc.,  and  explained  the  way  of  salvation,  hoping 
that  the  truth  might  not  only  sink  into  his  own 
mind,  but  that  he  might  also  bear  it  back  to  his 
people. 

"  At  last  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Benita,  a  broad 
and  beautiful  river — two  or  three  miles  wide,  I 
judge,  at  the  mouth.  On  the  south  side  of  it  are 
several  factories.  I  landed  for  an  hour  at  one  of 
them.  The  agent  there  I  knew,  and  he  is  quite  a 
genteel  young  Scotchman.  He  had  been  to  Corisco 
to  consult  Dr.  Nassau  about  his  health.  From 
there  I  sailed  across  the  mouth  of  the  river  into  a 


208  .  GEORGE  FA  ULL. 

beautiful  little  buy  where  I  thought  of  establishing 
a  station,  and  leaving  Mbata,  whom  I  had  taken 
along. 

"  While  we  were  getting  ready  to  land,  men, 
women  and  children  to  the  number  of  thirty,  per- 
haps, gathered  on  the  beach  from  the  towns  near 
by.  AVhen  I  landed  among  them  they  gave  me  a 
friendly  welcome,  shaking  me  by  the  hand  and 
looking  quite  pleased.  With  the  aid  of  Andike,  I 
made  them  a  little  speech,  telling  them  that  I  had 
come  to  stay  a  little  while  among  them,  and  that 
perhaps  I  would  leave  them  a  missionary  to  teach 
them  of  God,  etc.,  if  they  were  willing.  I  then 
asked  them  if  they  could  give  me  a  house  to  live 
in  while  I  stayed,  but  they  did  not  wait  to  reply  : 
off  they  started  to  the  nearest  town,  which  meant 
that  I  was  to  follow.  Eight  or  ten  men  were  in 
front,  I  came  next,  and  after  me  the  boatmen  with 
the  baggaffe,  then  the  women  and  children  behind. 
They  never  stopped  till  they  came  to  the  house 
of  the  headman,  and  into  it  the  whole  proces- 
sion went,  boxes  and  all,  and  as  many  more 
people  as  were  able  crowded  in  along  with  the 
others.  I  then  made  them  another  little  speech, 
explaining  more  fully  why  I  had  come  and  what 
we  wished  to  do. 


GWRGE  PAULL.  209 

"At  night  the  people  came  again,  filling  the 
house  to  overflowing,  and  I  preached  to  them  as 
plainly  and  simply  as  I  could  the  'Story  of  the 
cross/  which  they  never  before  had  heard.  How 
they  listened!  I  surely  never  before  had  better  at- 
tention than  I  had  there  from  these  children  of  the 
night.  There  is  a  peculiar,  indescribable  joy  in 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  benighted.  I  never 
was  engaged  in  happier  work  ;  nor  do  I  know  that 
I  ever  was  happier  than  as  I  lay  down  that  night 
in  a  little  cheerless  bamboo  hut,  all  alone,  and  feel- 
ing that  I  was  surely  a  stranger  in  a  very  strange 
land.  It  is  a  peculiar  sensation  that  sometimes 
comes  over  me  when  out  on  these  trips,  though  it 
is  not  unpleasant — I  mean  a  sense  of  aloneness  in 
the  great,  wdde  world — a  feeling  that  I  have  no 
longer  any  place  that  can  really  be  called  home ; 
no  place  where  there  will  be  any  warm  heart- 
welcomes  awaiting  my  return,  and  so  the  conse- 
quence is  that  I  am  happy  and  at  home  anywhere 
wherever  the  Mue  sky  bends  above  me,  whether  it 
be  on  the  sea  or  alone  in  the  smoky  hut  of  the 
Kombes. 

"November  6  was  the  Sabbath,  which  I  in- 
tended to  spend  among  the  people  where  I  stopped. 
In  the   morning  the  rain  was    pouring    down    iu 

14 


210  GEORGE  PAULL. 

torrents,  and  so  continued  most  of  the  day.  I  got 
up  from  my  bed  of  bamboo  slats,  on  which  I  liad 
a  comfortable  sleep,  and  Tom  (as  he  said  the  white 
men  called  him),  my  host,  brought  me  some  water 
to  wash.  After  I  had  eaten  my  breakfast  of  coffee, 
eggs,  sardines  and  bread — the  latter  I  shared  with 
Tom,  for  he  said  '  I  like  white  man's  bread  too 
much' — I  went  into  the  headman's  house  about  10 
o'clock  to  preach  to  the  people.  Soon  they  gath- 
ered and  crowded  the  house,  while  I  jH-eached  to 
them  from  Acts,  on  the  'Unknown  God.'  A  more 
attentive  audience  I  think  I  never  saw,  listening 
with  a  fixed  gaze  through  the  whole  discourse. 
At  2  o'clock  I  preached  in  another  town,  and  iu 
the  evening  in  a  third.  In  all  these  was  the  same 
good  attention. 

"  As  I  got  wet  in  the  afternoon,  going  from  one 
town  to  another,  I  stepped  into  the  house  next  to 
the  one  I  occupied  to  dry  my  feet  by  the  fire.  I 
found  a  little  girl  here,  the  betrothed  wife  of  Tom, 
though  she  was  only  eight  or  nine  years  old.  Tom 
had  promised  to  send  her  down  with  me  to  Corisco 
to  school ;  but  the  moment  she  saw  me  she  set  up 
a  terrible  crying,  enough  to  alarm  the  whole  town. 
I  do  not  know  that  she  had  ever  seen  a  white  man 
before.     She  was  still    full    of  tears   on  INIonday 


GEORGE  PAULL.  211 

morning,  and  on  this  account  I  left  her  till  I 
should  be  ready  to  go  back  again.  As  I  sat  in 
my  house  I  saw  a  man  working  away  on  his  new 
house  just  across  the  narrow  street.  As  Tom  was 
standing  near  him  I  said,  '  Tom,  don't  you  know 
this  is  Sunday?'  'Yes,'  said  he,  'I  done  tell 
him  so.'  I  do  not  know  that  the  workman  knew 
anything  about  Sunday  or  that  he  had  ever  heard 
of  it  before,  but  Tom  had  lived  among  white  men 
and  learned  something  of  the  Sabbath. 

"  llondai/,  November  7. — The  headmen  came 
together  early  to  get  some  little  present  before  I 
went  away;  this  they  always  expect.  I  left  Mbata 
in  their  care,  charging  them  to  treat  him  kindly,  and 
telling  them  that  if  they  did  so,  and  attended  well 
on  his  instructions,  that  we  would  probably  build 
a  mission-house  among  them.  They  were  to  give 
him  one  of  their  houses  to  liye  in  for  a  few  months, 
and  after  that  we  expect  to  build  one  for  him.  I 
got  away  about  8  o'clock  on  my  return  to  Corisco, 
nearly  the  whole  town  following  me  down  to  the 
beach  to  bid  me  good-bye,  and  I  feeling  rather 
sorry  to  part  with  them,  as  my  short  stay  had  been 
so  pleasant  and  had  impressed  me  so  favorably 
with  them.  The  sea  was  smooth  as  glass  as  we 
sailed  away,  and  the  sky  clear  and  beautiful.     No 


212  GEORGE  PAULL. 

May  mdrning  in  America  Avas  over  more  lovely. 
As  I  looked  up  the  broad  river  I  liad  a  fine  view 
of  the  grand  old  mountains  that  run  along  the 
coast  about  forty  miles  back  from  the  sea.  There 
seem  to  be  two  or  three  ranges  running  parallel 
with  each  other,  and  just  as  bold  and  lofty  as  our 
mountains  in  Pennsylvania. 

"  I  hope  the  time  is  not  far  away  when  we  shall 
be  able  to  carry  the  work  back  among  these  ranges, 
and  even  behind  them.  Here  is  where  the  Fan 
tribe  lives,  the  cannibals  of  wliom  Du  Chaillu 
speaks  in  his  Mork ;  but  they  are  a  bold  and 
thrifty  people,  and  perhaps  the  gospel  would 
take  a  deeper  hold  on  them  than  on  the  more 
eiFeminate  tribes  nearer  the  sea.  About  noon  we 
reached  Hanje  again,  not  intending,  however,  to 
stop,  but  an  old  headman  came  off  to  the  boat 
with  complaints  against  one  of  the  Scripture  read- 
ers, and  his  business  was  to  have  me  go  ashore  and 
*  talk  the  palaver.'  This  is  the  native  way  of  set- 
tling a  trouble — calling  all  the  people  in  town  to- 
gether and  talking  the  matter  over.  This  they 
call  '  settling  the  palaver.' 

"  1  went  ashore,  and  after  the  old  man  had  col- 
lected the  people  in  a  large  bamboo  house  he  arose 
and  made  a  speech  stating  all  his  grievances.     I 


GEORGE  PAULL.  213 

made  them  another  one  or  two,  trying  to  arrange 
the  matter  as  satisfactorily  as  possible,  and  finally 
they  declared  the  '  jmlaver  settled/  This  con- 
5nmed  a  good  deal  more  time  than  I  have  occu- 
pied in  telling  of  it,  for  the  discussion  lasted 
long,  and  j)art  of  the  time  ran  high  among  them- 
selves, and  then  it  was  like  being  in  '  bedlam.' 
Every  one  would  jump  to  his  feet,  gesticulating 
fearfully,  running  toward  each  other  and  shout- 
ing at  the  tops  of  their  voices,  giving  also  at  the 
same  time  a  significant  shake  of  the  forefinger  iu 
each  other's  faces. 

"  We  hurried  on  to  Aje  to  spend  the  night,  but 
the  wind  fell  and  the  men  had  to  take  to  their  oars, 
so  that  we  did  not  reach  it  till  9  o'clock  at  night. 
Every  one  was  in  bed,  but  Mackendenga  heard  the 
songs  of  the  boatmen,  as  they  usually  sing  some 
plaintive  strain  when  they  row  (all  their  music, 
indeed,  is  of  a  somewhat  mournful  character),  and 
came  down  to  welcome  us.  I  got  a  good  night's 
rest  here,  and  indeed  I  had  begun  to  feel  the  need 
of  it  pretty  badly. 

"November  8. — I  was  awake  at  daylight,  and  the 
people  came  around  the  house  with  mats  and  ducks 
and  chickens  to  sell,  some  of  -which  I  bought  and 
brought  to  Corisco,  for  it  is  boirinnina:  to  be  difii- 


214  GEORGE  PAIJLL. 

cult  to  get  as  iiiucli  fresh  food  as  we  need.  We 
landed  again  at  a  town  two  or  three  miles  farther 
down  the  coast,  where  I  expected  to  get  a  boy  or 
two  for  tlie  school.  Evaha  was  the  headman,  and 
a  pleasant,  kind  old  man  I  found  him  to  be.  His 
son,  a  very  nice  boy,  was  to  come  with  me,  but  had 
a  sore  foot,  and  I  left  liim  till  another  trip.  As 
neither  the  men  nor  I  liad  any  warm  food  in  the 
morning,  we  stopped  long  enough  to  have  break- 
fast. I  bought  a  very  big  fish  and  had  it  cooked 
with  some  plantains  for  them,  and  Evaha  had  a 
chicken  cooked  for  me,  which  tasted  savory,  for 
my  appetite  had  become  strong  by  this  time. 
Evaha  made  me  a  present  of  a  bunch  of  plan- 
tains and  divided  his  large  cake  of  udika  with 
me,  because  he  saw  that  I  liked  it  with  my 
chicken.  Udika  is  made  of  oily  nuts  pounded 
together  and  hardened  into  a  large  cake;  this  they 
shave  down  with  a  knife  and  use  it  for  thickening 
the  chicken  gravy. 

"  I  hoped  that  possibly  we  might  reach  Corisco 
to-day,  but  tlie  wind  was  bad,  and,  after  a  whole 
day's  sailing,  we  only  reached  Cape  St.  John  in 
the  night  —  twenty  miles  from  Corisco.  I  had 
given  up  my  intention  of  returning  by  Eloby,  as 
the  return  thus  far  had  beci   so  tedious  and  weari- 


GEORGE  PAULL,  215 

some,  on  account  of  bad  winds,  that  I  felt  anxious 
to  get  home  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  After  a  tolerably  good  night's  sleep  at  Cape  St. 
John,  we  left  in  the  morning  in  the  midst  of  the 
rain  for  Corisco.  We  had  not  got  far  out  to  sea 
when  one  of  the  principal  ropes  broke  and  fell 
through  the  pulley  at  the  top  of  the  mast.  This 
rendered  our  sail  useless.  One  of  the  boys  climbed 
the  mast  to  put  the  rope  through  the  pulley  again, 
but  just  as  he  was  doing  it  a  wave  struck  the  boat 
and  the  mast  cracked,  and  the  boy  had  to  come 
down.  We  then  pulled  back  to  shore  into  still 
water,  and  fixed  the  rope  securely  and  got  fairly 
under  way  again.  We  reached  Corisco  in  the  even- 
ing. I  got  out  at  the  north  side  of  the  island 
(Alongo)  and  took  tea  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Heer. 
They  gave  me  a  hearty,  homelike  welcome.  The 
boys  took  the  boat  on  to  Evangasimba,  and  I 
walked  down  after  night.  I  was  gone  a  little 
over  a  week,  and,  after  so  much  tossing  on  the 
waves  in  an  open  boat,  I  found  the  quiet  and 
comfort  of  Evangasimba  grateful  enough.  There 
is  much  that  is  wearisome  about  the  mainland 
journeys,  but  it  is  the  work  that  I  like,  and  it  is 
a  field  that  promises  to  yield  fruit  if  there  is  faith- 
ful sowing." 


•216  GEORGE  PAULL. 

In  a  letter  to  his  mother  and  sister,  dated  Evan- 
gasimba,  November  22,  1864,  Mr.  Paull  writes : 

"It  is  only  slowly  that  the  low  and  fearfully 
wretched  condition  of  these  people  becomes  fully 
known  to  one.  Crime  and  cruelty  seem  so  essen- 
tially inwrought  and  mingled  Avith  their  very  in- 
most lives  that  one  feels  obliged  utterly  and  for 
ever  to  despair  of  all  human  ability  to  make  them 
better.  If  good  is  done  among  them  we  will  surely 
scorn  to  take  the  praise,  for  in  our  hearts  we  must 
say,  '  It  is  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  only  that — 
from  beginning  to  end  it  is  of  the  Lord.' 

"  A  man  came  to  me  this  morning  to  get  some 
medicine,  for  both  his  ears  were  cut  entirely  oif. 
He  was  charged  with  a  crime  which  was  indeed 
worthy  of  so  severe  a  punishment,  if  he  was  guilty, 
but  it  ought  to  have  been  administered  in  a  differ- 
ent Avay;  but  for  it  his  master  had  this  punishment 
inflicted.  They  cut  and  carve  each  other  Avith  a 
brutality  which  makes  the  heart  sick.  You  see  it 
everywhere.  Scarcely  a  person  passes  you  that  can- 
not show  the  scars  of  some  horrid  Avound.  On 
each  of  the  backs  of  two  of  our  Christian  women, 
as  they  walked  from  church  before  me  last  Sabbath, 
I  rememl)or  to  have  scon,  perhajis,  three  long,  fear- 
ful scars.     I   a'n  astonisheil,  now,  at   the   little   I 


GEORGE  FAULL.  217 

knew  of  the  depths  into  whicli  humanity  can  sink 
and  indeed  has  sunk  in  all  heathen  lands.  I  speak 
not  of  occasional  outbreaks  into  sin  and  crime,  but 
of  the  deep,  dark  and  settled  wickedness  of  the 
human  heart,  and  of  the  thorough  and  awful  cor- 
ruption which  reaches  to  the  very  core  and  mani- 
fests itself  everywhere.  This,  however,  is  the  very 
thino-  which,  instead  of  discouray-ino;  missionaries 
and  Christians  generally,  ought  to  drive  away  all 
discouragement  and  doubt  as  to  what  we  ought  to 
do,  and  nerve  every  heart  for  earnest  work,  because 
it  makes  the  path  of  duty  so  plain.  It  seems  to 
say  to  every  Christian,  '  See  here  what  guilt,  what 
corruption,  what  wretchedness,  what  terrible  mis- 
ery, absolutely  immeasurable  woe !'  Letting  it 
alone  will  not  help  it;  for  centuries  that  course 
has  been  tried,  and  every  hour  it  is  let  alone 
the  guilt  is  becoming  blacker,  the  corruption 
deeper,  the  wretchedness  more  w'retched,  the  mis- 
ery more  awful ;  the  degradation  goes  on  and  will 
go  on,  if  you  let  it  alone,  until  as  a  putrid  mass 
the  heathen  world  sinks  in  ruin.  They  cannot  be 
helped,  then,  except  we  help  them ;  give  them  the 
strength  of  the  right  hand ;  pull  them  out  as  from 
the  fire  by  prayer  and  every  means  which  God  has 
ordained  and  will  bless. 


218  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"  But  I  did  not  intend  to  take  up  my  paper  with 
a  sermon.  I  wish,  however,  I  could  preach  iu 
American  ears  some  of  tlie  things  I  have  felt  since 
I  came  to  Africa.  I  would  like  to  take  a  section 
of  Africa,  with  all  its  darkness  and  crime  and  sor- 
row and  pitiable  woe,  and  put  it  down  iu  the  midst 
of  the  people,  that  they  might  see.  I  think  there 
would  be  some  tears,  some  pity ;  I  think  there 
would  be  some  warm  and  earnest  resolves  to  do, 
some  bitter  regrets  that  more  had  not  already  been 
done. 

"December  3. — This  evening  I  returned  from  the 
Gaboon,  where  I  had  a  short  but  pleasant  visit. 
The  missionaries  there  are  kind-hearted,  and  make 
one  feel  as  much  at  home  as  if  they  had  been  old 
friends.  They  have  beautiful  homes,  and  every 
comfort  that  could  reasonably  be  desired.  Their 
houses  are  built  on  high  ground,  back  from  and 
overlooking  the  river.  They  have  a  beautiful 
view  of  the  sea,  also,  and  of  the  ships  as  they 
lie  at  anchor  in  the  river  below.*  The  Gaboon 
is  in  possession  of  the   French  ;    they  have  built 

*  On  the  left  of  the  engravino;  is  (he  mission  cliapel,  a  jilcas- 
anl  bamboo  fitrnctnre,  in  tiie  rear  of  whlcli  is  the  cemetery  ;  to 
tlie  riglit  of  the  iiiil  stand  the  scliool-lionse  and  the  mission 
residence. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  219 

quite  a  town  on  it,  and  have  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  soldiers  and  government  officers  there. 
Several  men-of-Mar  also  are  kept  constantly  at  the 
station.  There  are  many  English  traders  there  also, 
which,  with  their  ships  lying  in  the  river,  give  it 
the  appearance  of  quite  a  business  place.  India 
rubber  and  ivory  and  palm  oil  are  the  chief  articles 
of  trade,  and  these  are  dealt  in  pretty  largely. 
The  Gaboon  is  an  immense  river,  fifteen  to  twenty 
miles  wide  at  the  mouth.  Even  up  where  the 
town  is  and  the  mission  station,  it  seems  to  be 
three  or  four  miles  wide.  I  did  not  find  Mr. 
Mackey  here,  but  we  had  letters  from  him  saying 
that  he  was  at  Fernando  Po,  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  get  down.  His  letters  tell  us  that  he  is 
not  much  better.  The  physician  at  Sierra  Leone 
told  him  that  he  could  not  live  in  Africa,  and  that 
if  lie  wished  to  save  liis  life  he  had  better  return 
to  America  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  I  found  my  letters  at  the  Gaboon  ;  and  surely 
I  liave  not  had  such  a  gloomy  package  in  many  re- 
sj)ccts  since  I  came  to  Africa.  The  death  of  Aunt 
S.  was  very,  very  saddening,  and  so  entirely  unex- 
pected. I  do  not  yet  realize  it;  it  seems  such  a 
terrible  breaking  of  old  associations  and  plans  of 
happiness  which  you  all  liad  doubtless  formed  in 


220  GEORGE  PAULL. 

having  her  so  near.  So  she  is  gone  !  I  look  back 
with  strange  feelings  to  see  how  our  friends  are 
crumbling  away — one  and  another  dropping  into 
the  grave,  and  leaving  great  blanks  in  our  hearts 
which  nothing  on  earth  can  fill." 

After  referring  to  the  death  of  several  other 
friends,  he  says :  "  The  wheel  of  Providence  keeps 
turning  majestically  on,  breaking  up  for  ever  the 
surface  of  social  life,  and  crushing  beneath  it  un- 
sparingly each  one's  most  cherished  plans  ;  and  this 
is  only  kindness  to  us  on  God's  part — he  chastens 
only  because  he  loves ;  if  he  designed  to  ruin  us, 
he  would  simply  leave  us  alone. 

"But  I  almost  forgot  these  sorrows  in  the  joy 
that  I  found  when  I  read  that  James  had  united 
with  the  church.  I  had  been  long  waiting  and 
askino;  for  it.  I  trust  it  will  not  be  lono;  until  Jo- 
seph  gives  his  heart  to  God.  Every  day  that  a 
Christian  lives  he  sees  more  and  more  the  wisdom 
of  his  choice,  and  only  wonders  that  he  forgot  his 
God  so  long.  He  that  has  acted  the  most  wisely 
in  life  is  the  one  who  has  given  his  heart  the  soon- 
est to  God — given  it  wholly. 

"December  13. — I  am  sitting  in  my  study  to- 
day, writing  up  for  the  mail ;  for  I  expect  to  go 
ind  visit  the  out-stations  asrain  next  week.     I  hear 


GEORGE  PAV.LL.  221 

the  wild  pigeons  cooing  all  arouud  and  the  birds 
trilling  most  beautiful  songs.  The  wild  flowers 
cover  the  ground  just  before  the  door,  and  the  air 
is  as  pleasant  as  on  any  June  day  at  home.  It  is  a 
great  mistake  to  suppose  that  Africa  is  such  a 
desolate,  dreary  land  as  some  imagine — scorched 
with  hot  suns  and  stifling  winds,  and  covered  with 
burning  sands.  I  would  almost  venture  to  say, 
that  ill  most  respects  there  is  not  a  more  delightful 
land  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  If  your  early  June 
days,  with  their  green  fields  and  fresh  air  and 
singing  birds,  lasted  all  the  year  round,  then  you 
would  realize  something  of  the  beauty  and  pleasant- 
ness of  Africa.  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  seen 
the  thermometer  above  80°,  and  when  the  sun 
would  be  hottest  we  usually  have  clouds  to  temper 
its  beams  ;  and  then  the  fresh  sea  breeze  always 
gives  life  to  the  atmosphere  about  us.  But  if  I 
said  no  more  than  this  I  would  not  tell  you  the 
whole  truth ;  for  you  would  think  that  in  such  a 
land  as  I  have  described  one  might  be  for  ever  re- 
newing his  youth,  and  have  good  hopes  of  living 
to  a  o-reat  ase.  But  not  so  ;  while  Africa  carries 
beauty  in  her  right  hand,  she  holds  death  in  her 
left — she  poisons  while  she  pleases.  It  seems 
strange  that,  in  a  land  so  lovely,  white  men  wither 


222  GEORGE  PAIILL. 

away  until  tlicy  become  thin,  sallow,  care-worn 
shadows  ;  and  yet  they  hardly  know  why,  and,  in- 
deed, are  scarcely  conscious  of  the  change  that  is 
going  on,  so  subtle  and  deadly  is  the  poison.  I  sup- 
pose it  arises  from  the  constant  decay  of  vegetable 
matter,  from  which  poisonous  gases  rise  up  and 
mingle  in  every  breath  we  draw. 

"  We  have  a  Scotch  botanist  and  conchologist 
staying  with  us  for  a  few  days,  making  some  col- 
lections. He  has  been  pointing  out  some  plants 
new  to  me,  as  the  arrow-root,  which  grows  abun- 
dantly all  around,  and  the  castor-oil  plant,  from 
the  beau  of  which  castor-oil  is  made. 

^^ December  15. — To-day,  for  recreation.  Dr.  Nas- 
sau proposed  a  little  boat  ride  to  a  beautiful  island 
half  a  mile  in  extent  and  a  mile  or  two  out  at  sea. 
We  took  the  school  children  and  the  ladies  along. 
Just  as  we  were  nearly  there  we  saw  a  vessel 
about  to  anchor  near  Corisco.  So  as  soon  as  we 
were  landed  at  the  little  island,  I  took  the  boat  and 
boatmen  and  went  to  bring  Mr.  Mackey  ashore, 
for  we  knew  that  he  was  aboard  the  vessel. 
Everybody  was  glad  to  see  him  back  again,  for 
he  is  greatly  beloved  here.  His  health  is  wot 
much  better,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  he  will  lie 
able  to  stay  here  long." 


GEORGE  PAULL.  223 

From  Mr.  PauU's  diary  we  take  Jie  follow- 
ing brief  notes : 

"December  20. — To-day  just  recovering  from  the 
eighth  attack  of  fever.  Am  preparing  to  go  again 
on  my  trip  to  Benita.  Am  reading  Wordsworth's 
*  Excursion.' 

"  December  22, — Started  again  with  Dr.  Nassau 
for  Benita.  Arrived  at  Aje.  Had  a  full  house  to 
preach  to.     Bought  a  little  house. 

"  December  23. — Reached  Benita  in  the  evening. 
Preached  to  a  great  houseful. 

"  December  24. — Spent  the  day  in  examining  the 
grounds  in  search  of  a  site  for  the  mission-house. 
Came  on  fresh  elephant  and  deer  tracks. 

"  December  25. — Christmas.  Preached  twice  at 
Benita  and  visited  towns  up  the  coast,  talking 
to  the  people. 

"  December  26. — Left  Benita  and  reached  Hanje. 
Had  a  long  walk  along  the  beach,  and  dined  on 
roasted  corn. 

"  December  27. — Eeached  Aje  again.  Started  in 
the  night  for  Eloby. 

"December  28. — Reached  Eloby  in  the  night. 
Sick  at  Eloby. 

"December  29.  —  Reached  Corisco  about  10 
o'clock. 


224  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"December  31. — Preached  in  church  at  Evanga- 
simba  on  Christian  earnestness.  Preparatory  sermon 
to  communion. 

"January  1,  1865. — Communion.  Large  turn- 
out of  people.     One  baptism — Xdate's  wife. 

"January  8. — Busy  making  preparations  to  go 
and  live  on  the  mainland  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Benita  River,  where  the  mission  a  few  days  ago  ap- 
pointed me  to  go  and  build  a  station  that  I  might 
the  better  overlook  the  mainland  stations." 

To  his  mother  he  writes  from  Corisco,  January 
12,  1865: 

"I  think  I  was  just  about  preparing  for  another 
trip  to  Benita  Avhen  I  finished  my  last  letter  to  you. 
Dr.  Nassau  went  with  me,  and  we  had  in  many 
respects  a  most  delightful  trip,  though  the  doctor 
was  sick  most  of  the  time;  he  cannot  bear  the 
tossings  of  the  sea.  Nausea  does  not  now  trouble 
me,  and  I  can  eat  on  the  boat  when  out  for  a  whole 
day.  I  think  I  shall  become  quite  a  boatman 
after  a  while,  as  my  work  among  the  stations  Avill 
call  mc  almost  constantly  up  and  down  the  coast. 

"  Our  trip  this  time  was  partly  to  examine  the 
point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Benita  River  on  which 
we  propose  to  build  a  permanent  station.  AVe 
spent  two  days  there,  one  of  which  was  the  Sab- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  225 

bath.  On  Saturday  we  looked  for  a  site  to  build, 
and  selected  a  beautiful  point  right  in  the  angle 
between  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  the  sea.  I 
think  1  have  scarcely  seen  a  more  attractive  spot 
on  the  coast  of  Africa.  The  cool  and  refrcshiner 
sea-breeze  sweeps  over  it  constantly,  and  behind 
there  is  a  broad  and  beautiful  plain  entirely  free 
from  trees  with  the  exception  of  a  cluster  here  and 
there.  A  grassy  plain  is  one  of  the  rarest  and  most 
attractive  sights  in  Africa,  and  we  think  that  such 
a  spot  near  to  one's  home  adds  more  to  one's 
health  than  anything  else,  on  account  of  the 
absence  of  decaying  vegetation.  The  site  is 
tolerably  elevated,  and  gives  you  a  view  of  the  sea 
that  stretches  far  away  to  the  west.  There  is  not 
much  doubt  that  this  will  be  altogether  as  healthy 
a  place  as  on  the  island.  The  traders  who  live 
across  the  river  enjoy  excellent  health.  The  people 
are  quiet  and  most  kindly  disposed,  and  withal 
njost  anxious  to  have  a  missionary. 

"  I  brought  down  four  boys  to  school  this  trip, 
and  was  to  bring  my  friend  Tom's  little  wife,  of 
whom  I  wrote  in  ray  last  letter,  but  when  We  were 
about  to  start  and  Tom  looked  for  his  wife  she  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  She  had 'run  off  to  hide 
herself     At  last,  when  we  were  just  getting  in  the 


22G  UEDlKiE  PA  I'LL. 

boat,  Tom  saw  her  away  up  the  beach  and  ran  to 
fetch  her,  l)nt  .-he  was  oil"  like  an  antelope,  and  so 
I  liad  to  come  without  her.  Tom  seemed  mortified 
at  the  mishap,  as  he  had  already  asked  for  a  pas- 
sage by  my  next  trip  to  come  down  and  see  his 
wife  at  Corisco.  Tiie  wind  was  very  mucii  against 
us,  and  we  made  only  a  few  miles  in  the  day. 
When  we  sailed  five  or  six  miles  we  sailed  to  shore 
and  walked  along  the  beach  to  Hanje,  and  let  the 
men  row  the  boat.  This  walk  was  a  pleasant  little 
episode  in  our  trip.  We  landed  at  a  little  new 
town,  ground  fur  which  had  just  been  cleared  out 
of  the  heavy  timber.  The  people  all  (twenty  or 
thirty  in  number)  came  down  to  the  shore,  and  by 
their  bright,  happy  faces  seemed  to  give  us  a 
hearty  welcome.  As  the  tide  was  full  along  the 
beach  we  concluded  to  wait  an  hour  or  so  till  it  should 
go  down.  As  we  had  brought  a  bucket  of  pro- 
visions from  the  boat,  we  sat  down  and  ate.  Around 
the  town  was  about  an  acre  of  corn  just  ready  to 
roast.  So  we  had  three  ears  apiece  roasted  and  sat 
down  on  native  stools  in  front  of  the  headman's 
house  to  enjoy  our  feast,  the  people  all  about  us 
in  a  circle,  delighted  and  making  merry.  Before 
we  commenced  to  eat  we  each  asked  a  silent  bless- 
ing,  ami    there    was   a    hush   among  some  of   the 


GEORGE  PAULL.  227 

people  and  a  quiet  murmur,  as  though  they  were 
inquiring  among  themselves  wliat  it  meant.  One 
of  the  women  who  had  somewhere  learned  some- 
thing of  religion,  immediately  said  'Akalakia'  (he 
prays). 

"We  had  salt  for  our  corn,  but  no  butter.  The 
fat  from  a  cooked  ham,  however,  melted  on  the  hot 
corn,  answered  in  its  place.  One  of  the  women 
sympathized  with  the  doctor  in  his  seasickness,  and 
went  through  the  motion  of  seasickness  to  show  him 
how  boat-riding  always  affected  her.  When  we 
had  finished  our  meal  and  sat  a  little  while,  we  had 
prayer  with  them,  and  spoke  to  them  of  the  gospel, 
and  then  went  on  our  way,  leaving  them  delighted, 
and  delighted  ourselves  with  the  visit.  I  do  not 
remember  to  have  had  a  more  pleasant  little  inter- 
lude in  Africa.  The  doctor  was  weak  and  could 
only  walk  slowly,  and  was  obliged  to  rest  often,  so 
we  were  after  night  getting  to  Hanje.  The  latter 
part  of  the  way  was  rough  and  rocky,  and  we  had 
a  creek  to  cross  into  which  I  tumbled  in  the  dark- 
ness and  was  wet  above  the  knees.  I  suffered  no 
inconvenience  from  it,  however,  for  we  soon  got  to 
the  mission  station,  and  I  took  off  my  wet  clothes 
and  put  on  a  pair  of  Njumba's  pants  and  went  to 
bed.     The  boat  did  n  )t  arrive  till  late  at  night. 


228  GEORGE  FAULL. 

*'  Wii  Jiad  to  cross  also  a  river  about  a  hundred 
yards  wide;  but  over  this  we  were  ferried  in  a 
canoe.  There  was  a  hu'ge  town  on  the  op])osite 
bank  and  plenty  of  people  gathered  about  us ;  to 
these  also  we  preached  the  gospel.  Some  of  them 
folloAved  us  a  short  distance  and  then  gave  us  their 
parting  salutation,  which  is/  keke  bwamu'(go,  good), 
something  like  our  *  fare  ye  well.'  I  like  the  peo- 
ple for  their  simplicity  and  kindness  of  heart. 
Sometimes  an  incident  occurs  among  them  to  make 
one  lau<:;h.  As  we  were  sitting  beside  rather  a 
fierce-looking  old  headman  on  the  Benita,  suddenly 
he  took  us  by  the  beards,  and,  shaking  them  vigor- 
ously, said  we  ought  to  cut  them  oif,  especially 
about  the  mouth,  as  he  thought  it  must  hinder  one 
greatly  in  eating.  Most  white  men  here  allow  the 
whole  beard  to  grow,  thinking  it  perhaps  more 
healthy,  and  indeed  not  caring  to  shave.  But  few 
of  the  natives  have  any  beard,  except  perhaps  a  lit- 
tle tuft  on  the  chin  ;  and  they  greatly  envy  the 
long  boards  of  the  white  men,  and  some  of  them 
say,  '  God  is  not  good  to  them  because  he  gave  them 
so  little,'  Some  of  the  boys  inquire  very  earnestly 
if  there  is  not  something  in  the  white  man's 
country  that  can  be  rubbed  on  the  face  to  make  the 
beard  grow. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  229 

"We  started  from  Hanje  about  4  o'clock  in  the 
morning  so  as  to  get  the  land  breeze,  but  did  not 
even  then  reach  Aje  till  late  in  the  evening.  After 
two  or  three  hours'  rest  at  Aje,  we  set  off  again 
about  11  or  12  o'clock  in  the  night,  so  as  to  have 
the  land  breeze  and  tide  in  our  favor.  By  hard 
sailing  we  reached  Eloby  at  8  o'clock  in  the  night, 
and  from  there  we  were  glad  to  get  back  to  Corisco 
by  the  next  morning,  having  been  gone  over  a 
week. 

"  I  greatly  love  the  missonary  work  in  Africa. 
I  do  not  know  that  I  have  ever  been  so  completely 
happy  in  any  work  as  in  this.  My  prayer  is  that 
God  may  spare  me  here  for  many  years.  The  peo- 
ple are  deeply  in  need  of  the  word  of  life,  perish- 
ing sadly  without  it ;  and,  alas  !  we  are  so  few  and 
our  hands  so  feeble  that  we  cannot  do  a  tithe  of 
the  work  that  it  seems  criminal  to  leave  undone. 
Mr.  Mackey  is  back,  and  his  health  is  much  better. 
This  gives  me  a  joyful  release  from  so  much  secular 
labor,  and  now  I  am  about  to  enter  fully  on  the 
work  that  in  my  heart  I  love.  In  your  last  letter 
you  asked  me  not  to  go  to  the  mainland.  I  think 
I  can  appreciate  your  feelings  and  sympathize  with 
you  in  them.  But  you  can  scarcely  realize  the  ne- 
cessity that  we  feel  here  for  pushing  on  the  work 


230  GEORGE  FAULL. 

among  the  tribes  that  yet  sit  in  darkness.  Our 
liearts  bnrn  to  raise  the  torch  higher  and  carry  it 
farther,  nntil  it  shall  gladden  the  tribes  who  now 
perish  in  gloom.  We  came  here  to  serve  God  and 
to  do  his  work  ;  so  death  cannot  touch  us,  nor  even 
the  floods  drown  us,  until  God  is  ready  ;  and  when 
God  is  ready,  then  *it  is  well.'  You  will  not  be 
grieved,  then,  I  know,  when  I  tell  you  that  God 
lias  brought  me  into  high  honor,  the  highest  by  far 
of  my  life — that  is,  to  leave  my  home  and  comforts 
a^ain,  and  go  to  live  araono;  the  heathen  anew. 
This  will  not  give  you  sorrow,  I  know,  because  it 
will  give  me  more  happiness  and  joy  than  aught 
else  almost  that  I  could  name  on  earth.  The  mis- 
sion, at  our  last  meeting,  appointed  me  as  the 
pioneer  of  the  work  on  the  mainland.  Others 
would  willingly  have  gone,  but  God  gave  the 
privilege  to  me,  and  indeed  his  providence  has 
gradually  been  opening  up  my  way  ever  since  I 
came. 

"  For  the  last  few  days  I  have  been  packing 
boxes  with  tools  for  building  and  goods  for  trade, 
and  next  week  I  am  to  set  sail  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Benita,  that  beautiful  spot  on  which  I  am  to  build. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackcy  will  possibly  take  the  trip 
with  me,  and  see  me  safely  landed.     I  shall  take 


BriLniNG  AT  Benita- 


p.  ZVl. 


GEORGE  PAULL.  231 

everything  along  that  will  be  needful  for  my  pres- 
ent comfort,  and  perhaps  I  may  also  get  back  to 
civilization  every  two  or  three  months.  Mrs. 
Mackey  and  Mrs,  M'Queen  will  supply  me  with 
cooking  apparatus,  and  I  will  get  plenty  of  pro- 
visions from  the  storehouse :  so  you  need  have  no 
uneasiness  about  these  things.  As  for  loneliness, 
that  will  not  trouble  me,  and  the  slight  fevers 
which  sometimes  come  I  have  learned  to  check ; 
so  with  trust  in  God  I  shall  do  well. 

"  The  plan  of  my  house  I  have  drawn  off  to  send 
you.  It  is  to  be  built  of  bamboo,  with  board  floors. 
The  reception-room  is  made  large,  as  it  will  be  the 
preaching  place.  The  kitchen  will  be  outside,  and 
a  little  hut  will  answer  for  that.  It  is  to  be  built 
above  ground  on  mangrove  posts.  I  suppose  it 
will  take  about  two  months  to  finish  it,  and  in  the 
mean  time  I  expect  to  live  in  a  native  house.  So 
far  as  comforts  go  I  shall  have  enough  in  every 
way,  for  I  will  not  expect  many.  But  I  shall  be 
able  to  tell  you  more  fully  of  my  situation  in  my 
next  letter. 

"  Our  new  mission  station  among  the  Kombes 
will  require  some  outlay,  and  the  Board  is  pressed 
for  funds.  If  matters  become  worse,  I  think  I 
could  live  on  half  my  salary,  and  I  would  gladly 


232  GEORGE  PAULL. 

do  it  to  liclp  on  the  cause;  but  this  need  not  liave 
been  spoken  of.  For  the  present  press,  liowever, 
■\ve  greatly  need  a  new  boat ;  it  will  cost  perhaps 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  we  propose  if 
possible  to  raise  it  by  private  contribution.  Cousin 
L.  B.  by  the  last  mail  wrote  to  me  to  let  her  know 
if  I  needed  anything,  so  I  am  sure  she  will  contri- 
bute, and  Dr.  Nassau  will  perhaps  Avrite  to  some 
friends.  If  any  of  our  friends,  or  the  friends  of 
missions  in  the  church  at  home,  cared  to  do  any- 
thing, it  would  be  a  gratification  and  a  great  help 
to  the  cause.  I  am  sure  God  will  not  let  us  sink, 
but  will  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  some  who  love 
his  name  to  help  on  the  work. 

"P.  S. — Jamiary  17. — I  must  append  a  note  on 
the  eve  of  starting.  In  the  morning  I  expect  to 
go.  We  had  a  delightful  ])raycr-meeting  to-night 
which  strengthened  my  heart,  and  I  go  to  my 
work  full  of  peace  and  joy,  and  hopeful  that  I 
may  gather  some  sheaves  from  the  great  ripened 
harvest.  Do  not  thiid<  of  me  as  in  the  least  sad 
•or  lonely.  I  almost  feel  sure  that  I  shall  not 
be  either.  God  has  been  prej)aring  me  hitherto 
for  all  that  is  to  come  upon  me.  I  shall  have  good 
company  in  the  presence  of  Him  M'ho  has  said,  'I 
will  never  leave  thee  nor  fors:ikc  thee.'     '  Lo,  1  am 


GEORGE  PAVLL.  233 

with  you  alway,  even  nnto  the  end  of  the  world.' 
And  I  doubt  not  I  will  learn  more  of  this  kind 
friend  when  my  fellowship  must  be  almost  solely 
with  him.  I  seem  almost  to  be  going  out  as  a  mis- 
sionary anew;  I  have  all  the  joy  of  such  a  step,  and 
it  gives  me  a  little  sadness,  too,  at  parting  with  my 
brethren  and  sisters.     Much  love,  etc. 

"Geo.  Paull." 

He  wrote  under  date  of  February  15  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mackey  concerning  the  new  mission  station  at 
Benita.  "  The  place  grows  in  beauty.  I  think  I 
am  safe  in  saying  that  I  have  seen  no  place  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  that  so  gladdened  my  heart.  Its 
beauty,  along  with  the  general  good  progress  of 
everything,  has  kept  me  entirely  from  growing 
lonely  or  even  sick,  except  the  slightest  possible 
attack  of  fever.  I  trust  that  the  outward  pros- 
perity which  thus  far  seems  to  attend  and  encour- 
age the  work  here  may  be  a  forecasting  of  the  spir- 
itual blessings  that  may  follow  when  the  station 
is  fully  manned  and  the  work  thoroughly  entered 
into. 

"  The  attendance  at  church  continues  most  en- 
couraging. Quite  a  number  were  down  from 
Meduma   last    Sabbath.     Though   there  was  rain 


234  GEORGE  PAULL. 

in  the  morning,  yet  al)ont  one  Imndred  and  twenty 
found  tiieir  way  out  to  eluirch." 

The  following  note  to  Mrs.  Clemens,  at  Corisco, 
is  from  Benita  River  Station,  February  16, 1871 : 

"I  did  not  have  time  by  the  last  boat  to  drop 
you  a  reply  to  your  kind  note  of  the  second.  I  was 
glad  to  get  it.  Kind  words  and  assurances  of 
friendly  regard  are  of  wondrous  worth,  and  my 
package  of  letters  will  never  be  so  large  but  that 
I  will  be  glad  to  have  others  added  by  friends  at 
Corisco. 

"  There  is  much  that  is  cheering  about  the  work 
among  this  peojile,  and  it  is  really  delightful  to  be 
among  them.  I  know  this  is  })loughing  in  new 
soil,  and  one  cannot  judge  from  first  appear- 
ances what  the  more  permanent  state  of  things 
may  be.  But  for  the  present,  at  least,  everything 
is  exceedingly  encouraging;  and  indeed  I  do  not 
know'  why  they  should  not  always  remain  so;  I 
mean  if  we  do  our  part.  I  have  exceeding  faith 
in  the  faithfulness  of  God.  If  he  has  said  he  will 
give  his  spirit  I  think  he  means  it ;  I  think  too  he 
is  far  more  willing  to  save  souls  than  we  are  to 
have  them  saved.  AVhen,  therefore,  there  is  dead- 
ness  in  the  church  and  sinners  are  not  being  con- 
verted, the   fault   is   not   God's   but   ours.     I  do 


GEORGE  PAULL.  235 

believe  in  my  heart  that  if  we  missionaries  and  all 
Christians  lived  as  I  am  sure  we  ought  to  live,  and 
as  some  have  lived,  there  would  be  a  revival  all 
the  year  round,  and  sinners  would  be  inquiring  the 
way  to  Zion  all  the  while.  God's  faithfulness  and 
his  promises  in  the  Scriptures  fully  warrant  such  a 
belief.  When  no  blessings  come  down  we  are  apt 
to  throw  the  blame  on  God,  but  do  it  in  the  form 
of  a  modest  apology  for  him,  saying,  '  His  time  is 
not  come  yet.'  I  am  ashamed  whenever  I  think 
this,  for  it  is  dishonoring  to  God.  It  is  casting 
on  him  that  which  only  results  from  our  own 
indolence  and  lack  of  spirituality.  God's  time  to 
glorify  himself  and  save  sinners  is  always  here. 
I  believe  there  is  no  time  when  he  is  more  ready 
than  at  any  other." 

Extracts  from  his  journal : 

"  January  18. — God  has  given  me  to  see  this,  one 
of  the  gladdest  days  of  my  life.  This  morning  I 
sailed  from  Corisco  to  build  my  home  among  the 
heathen  at  the  mouth  of  the  Benita  on  the  main- 
land. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  came  with  rae  as  far 
as  Hanje,  where  we  arrived  at  dark.  We  brought 
two  boats,  which  carried  my  building  tools,  clothing, 
food  and  goods  for  purchases.  Mrs.  Mackey  and 
Mrs.  M'Queen  have  shown  great  kindness  in  fitting 


236  GEORGE  PAULL. 

me  out  with  everything  necessary  for  housekeep- 
ing. I  take  Upingalo  along  for  cook  and  house- 
keeper. 

'' January  19. — This  morning,  after  breakfast  at 
rianje,  the  peo2)le  came  togetlier  to  talk  their 
I^alaver  with  us  for  passing  by  them  and  going  to 
Benita  River.  AVe  explained  our  reasons  fully, 
but  they  were  not  satisfied,  and  declared  if  we  did 
not  build  with  them  that  the  Scripture  readers 
must  leave,  and  that  the  house  and  everything 
must  be  taken  away.  They  had  made  threats 
against  the  Scripture  readers,  and  had  declared  that 
they  would  burn  or  tear  down  their  house.  We 
told  them  that  our  plans  were  already  made  and 
that  talking  was  useless;  so  about  10  o'clock  I 
started  witli  the  boats  and  men,  leaving  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  INIaekey  there  to  await  the  return  of  the 
larger  one.  Reached  Benita  about  10  o'clock  and 
met  with  a  most  joyous  welcome.  Every  one 
seemed  overflowing  with  gladness.  They  gave  me 
gladly  the  best  house  in  town  to  live  in,  and  ran 
with  groat  haste  to  carry  up  my  boxes  and  stow 
them  away.  Upingalo  arranged  things  nicely,  and 
at  tea-time  set  me  a  nice  table  with  snow-white 
cloth  and  tea-set.  He  brought  me  coffee  with  goat's 
milk,  butter  and  good  bread  and  ham,  which  Mrs. 


GEORGE  FAULL.  237 

Mnckey  had  provided ;  tea-cakes,  a  large  tin  of 
which  Mrs.  M'Queeu  had  made  me,  served  as  a 
kind  of  dessert.  My  house  is  tolerably  neat  and 
clean.  It  is  bamboo,  good  size,  with  one  outside 
door,  but  no  windows  save  a  little  one  about  two 
feet  by  ten  inches.  I  am  provided  with  a  good 
mattress,  blankets  and  mosquito-net. 

"  I  had  a  houseful  at  prayers  —  read  and  ex- 
plained part  of  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis.  May 
God  make  me  a  blessing  to  this  people ! 

'^January  20. — This  morning  I  arose  refreshed 
by  a  tolerably  good  sleep.  After  breakfast  I  took 
some  men  to  cut  a  path  and  went  to  look  at  a  place 
for  building.  I  selected  one  of  the  most  charming 
spots,  I  think,  I  have  ever  seen — a  blufiP  about 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high  and  about  one  hundred 
yards  back  from  the  beach.  On  the  top  of  the 
bluff  the  land  is  almost  level,  and  runs  back  about 
a  mile  in  a  beautiful  plateau  of  almost  entirely 
clear  land.  The  view  from  it  extends  into  the 
river  and  away  over  the  sea.  A  strong  and  con- 
stant sea-breeze  sweeps  over  it  almost  day  and 
niidit.  To-morrow  the  king  and  headmen  are 
to  meet  me  and  sell  me  the  land,  and  I  commence 
to  build.  The  old  king  and  several  headmen  were 
to  see  me  this  afternoon.     They  say  they  are  very 


238  QEORQE  PAULL. 

glad  to  have  some  one  to  live  among  them  and 
teach  them  about  God  and  how  to  be  good,  for 
some  of  the  people  are  very  bad. 

"  The  man  whose  house  Upingalo  uses  for  a 
kitchen  came  to  see  how  much  I  would  pay  him 
for  the  use  of  it.  He  thought  he  ought  to  have 
two  dollars  a  month,  but  at  last  agreed  to  come  at 
the  end  of  a  month  and  receive  one  dollar.  I  went 
with  Urae  (the  carpenter)  this  afternoon  and  cut 
the  fork  of  a  tree  to  hang  the  grindstone  on.  The 
next  thing  will  be  to  set  and  file  the  saw,  so  as  to 
be  ready  for  building. 

"The  house  that  I  now  live  in  is  quite  comfort- 
able. The  large  room,  which  I  use  as  a  reception- 
room,  study,  dining-room  and  sitting-room,  is  about 
fourteen  by  sixteen  feet.  The  walls  are  about  eight 
feet  high,  and  there  is  no  ceiling  between  me  and 
the  rafters.  The  rain,  as  it  pours  down  to-night, 
knocks  the  soot  from  tlie  roof  on  the  paper,  but 
Upingalo  will  remedy  that  soon  by  the  use  of  a 
broom.  The  other  room  is  about  eight  feet  by 
twelve,  and  has  no  window  or  door  to  admit  the 
light  cxccjit  a  little  one  three  feet  by  one-half 
This  is  nearly  always  closed  to  keej)  out  the 
thieves,  for  here  our  treasures  are  kej)t.  It  is 
pantry    nnd    store-house    and    bed-rooai.      Chests 


GEORGE  PAIJLL.  239 

and  dishes  and  trade-goods  and  bread  and  meat, 
etc.,  are  all  stowed  here.  The  whole  house  has  a 
floor  of  newly-poimded  clay,  which  is  comfortable 
enough  and  looks  clean.  I  had  a  board  tied  up  in 
the  large  room  for  books,  etc.,  and  another  in  the 
small  one  to  put  the  dishes  on.  There  is  a  rope 
stretched  across  the  room  on  which  to  hang  coats, 
towels,  etc. 

"As  I  came  in  from  cutting  the  grindstone 
frame  I  found  a  pile  of  bark  burning  away  like 
a  small  coal-pit,  and  when  I  inquired  I  found  it 
was  a  miniature  pottery.  They  make  very  nice 
vessels  for  water,  holding  about  a  quart,  out 
of  clay,  figured  over  on  the  outside,  and  very 
much  the  shape  of  a  small  iron  pot.  When  they 
have  made  them  they  put  them  into  a  pile  and 
pile  bark  around  to  burn  them.  When  done  they 
are  quite  hard  and  serviceable.  They  make  pipes 
in  the  same  way — pipes,  too,  that  show  the  skill  of 
an  artist. 

"  I  saw  some  men  and  women  this  evening;  jxoins: 
out  to  watch  all  night  in  their  gardens,  which  are 
about  half  a  mile  away.  This  is  the  only  way 
they  can  keep  the  elei)hants  from  destroying  their 
food.  I  tried  to  show  them  how  they  might  dig 
pits  at  their  crossing  places  and  catch  the  elephants, 


240  GEORGE  PAULL. 

but  tliat  seems  to  them  too  much  trouble.  All  the 
old  garden-spots  that  I  see  have  the  remains  of  a 
lodge  where  the  night  watchers  slept."  The  reader 
will  at  once  be  reminded  of  that  passage  in  Isa.  i. 
8,  "  The  daughter  of  Zion  is  left  as  a  cottage  in  a 
vineyard,  as  a  lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucumbers." 

"  AV'e  had  a  full  house  at  prayers,  and  I  read 
and  spoke  to  attentive  listeners  about  the  creation 
of  man.  The  three  native  Christians  that  came 
with  me  gathered  into  my  room  after  prayers,  and 
we  sang  Benga  hymns  together  till  8  o'clock.  They 
had  no  desire  to  leave  off,  although  they  had  not 
yet  had  their  suppers.  It  is  a  delightful  thing  to 
have  these  Christians  with  me — they  seem  like 
brethren  indeed  in  a  land  of  heathen.  I  hope 
they  will  do  great  good  among  the  people.  To- 
day I  set  Mbata  (the  Scripture  reader)  to  teaching 
a  school,  which  he  has  been  doing  in  some  sort 
before.  Big  men  and  little  boys  go  and  are  busy 
learning  the  A,  B,  C.  Some  of  them,  too,  have 
now  learned  to  spell.  A  headman  from  across  the 
river  came  to  see  me  to-day  and  brought  me  a 
present  of  a  chicken,  and  I  had,  of  course,  to  give 
him  in  return  a  present  worth  more  than  the 
chicken. 

"I  have  an  almanac  for  1865  which  Mr.  Mackey 


GEORGE  PAULL.  241 

brought  out  aucl  presented  me.  This  keeps  my  time 
as  to  the  days  and  weeks,  and  I  have  a  big  silver 
watch  which  I  bouglit  from  Mr.  Mackey.  This 
tells  me  how  the  hours  go.  For  calling  the  peo- 
ple together  for  prayers,  I  have  a  shrill  whistle 
(for  we  have  no  bell  as  yet)  which  Mr.  M'Queen 
used  and  which  Mrs.  M'Queen  gave  me.  I  hope 
to  hand  this  back  to  her,  however,  whenever  any- 
body is  kind  enough  .to  send  us  a  bell  from 
America. 

"  The  missionaries  in  Corisco  feel  a  great  inter- 
est in  this  mainland  undertaking,  and  they  treated 
me  with  great  kindness  and  did  everything  for  my 
comfort  that  they  could  when  I  left.  Surely  it  is 
not  vain  and  dishonest  talk  when  I  say  that  I  can- 
not see  why  God  should  treat  me  so  kindly  and 
give  me  every  comfort  and  enjoyment  that  I  need, 
so  that  in  this  land  of  darkness  I  am  as  truly 
happy,  I  think,  as  I  have  ever  been  in  my  bright- 
est days  at  home,  among  friends  that  I  love  and 
surrounded  by  whatever  we  thought  could  make 
life  enjoyable. 

"January  21. — This  morning  the  old  king  and 
the  headmen  came  together  to  sell  me  some  ground 
for  the  mission  buildings.  I  sat  down  and  told 
them  my  object  in  coming  among  them,  and  what 


242  GEORGE  PAULL. 

I  would  expect  on  their  part,  viz.,  a  good  attend- 
ance on  missionary  instructiuns,  and  when  their 
people  stole  anything  from  mc  that  they  were  to 
have  it  returned,  also  that  I  was  to  have  a  voice 
in  their  palavers  and  councils,  etc.,  etc,  to  all  of 
■which  they  agreed.  Poor  people !  I  feel  greatly 
attached  to  them ;  and  they  are  very  kind,  and 
yielded  almost  everything  to  me  that  I  asked. 
Tliey  are  wonderfully  anxious  to  have  a  mission- 
ary among  them,  and  say  they  want  very  much 
to  be  taught  about  God.  Mine  will  be  a  fear- 
fully responsible  work.  I  shall  need  grace  every 
hour. 

''The  land  thus  bought  for  the  mission,  I  think, 
is  the  most  beautiful  spot  on  which  my  eye  ever 
fell.  Among  the  hills  of  Pennsylvania  or  the 
prairies  of  the  West  or  amid  the  rich  scenery  of 
Scotland  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  anything  that 
made  my  heart  so  glad.  Beautiful,  beautiful, 
beautiful,  is  all  I  can  say  that  would  be  anything 
like  an  adequate  description.  I  went  out  thin 
afternoon  and  stretched  myself  on  its  green  sward 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  and  as  I  looked  up  I 
am  sure  my  heart  swelled  with  gladness  that  I 
was  in  a  land  so  lovely  and  engaged  in  a  work 
so  blessed.     I  scarcely  get  time  to  sit  down  for  a 


OEORGE  PAULL.  243 

moment  but  the  people  gather  about  me,  and  if  I 
commence  to  leurn  the  language  from  them  their 
faces  grow  bright  and  they  take  great  delight  in 
helping  me. 

"  On  the  land  are  two  springs  which  the  people 
say  never  go  dry.  I  was  careful  to  have  them 
within  the  line,  so  that  there  might  be  no  failure 
of  water.  Near  one  of  them  I  notice  there  are 
four  different  varieties  of  beautiful  wild  flowers, 
which,  if  they  could  be  transplanted  to  America, 
■would  be  esteemed  treasures. 

"January  22. — This  has  been  a  delightful  Sab- 
bath. I  spent  the  morning  in  thinking  over  the 
first  three  chapters  of  Genesis.  At  10  o'clock  and 
at  night  in  my  sermons  I  dwelt  on  the  creation 
and  fall  and  the  evil  of  the  heart  as  described  by 
Paul  in  the  first  chapter  of  Romans,  trying  at  the 
same  time  to  give  some  impression  of  the  greatness 
and  sovereignty  of  God.  I  think  these  most  im- 
portant subjects  just  at  the  beginning  of  my  work. 
Both  morning  and  night  I  had  fixed  attention ;  at 
night,  especially,  it  seemed  very  solemn.  At  morn- 
ing service  there  was  an  audience  of  between  sev- 
enty and  eighty  people,  crowded  together  in  the 
little  native  house  and  about  the  door.  One,  at 
least,  and  perhaps  more,  came  a  distance  of  eight 


244  GEORGE  PAULL. 

or  ten  miles  to  hear  the  gospel.  I  asked  him  if 
his  heart  believed  the  things  he  had  heard.  He 
said,  'Yes,  or  else  I  would  not  come  so  far  to 
hear.'  At  night  there  were  about  fifty  j^resent. 
I  started  a  Sabbath-school  in  the  afternoon,  to 
which  about  thirty  men,  women  and  children 
came.  The  native  Christians  taught  them  a 
while,  and  then  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  time  in 
trying  to  explain  to  them  the  way  of  salvation. 
My  friend  Tom  seems  seriously  attentive,  and  the 
young  men  tell  me  this  evening  that  he  has  been 
asking  them  to  teach  him  how  to  pray.  Perhaps 
God  will  bless  our  work  here,  and  then  the  pray- 
ers that  I  have  tried  to  offer  for  a  long  time  will 
be  answered.  I  will  pray  and  work  and  wait.  I 
trust  God  will  yet  use  me  for  his  glory.  The  peo- 
ple in  town  have  behaved  in  a  very  orderly  way, 
and  with  great  apparent  respect  for  the  day  of  God. 
"January  23. — This  Monday  active  work  com- 
mences in  the  way  of  preparation  for  the  new 
house,  and  it  makes  quite  a  stir  about  the  little 
town,  for  every  one  is  anxious  to  earn  a  cloth  or  a 
hat,  etc.  Out  of  the  number  of" applicants  I  hired 
some  twenty.  Part  of  them  went  to  cut  and  carry 
posts  to  set  the  house  on,  the  remainder  with  their 
cutlasses  I  set  to  clearing  off  the  ground,  cutting 


GEORGE  PAULL.  245 

away  bushes  and  making  a  road  to  the  beach. 
Some  of  the  number  are  women,  and  they  hack 
away  with  their  cutlasses  as  well  as  the  men,  when 
the  work  is  light.  They  form  a  merry  group  of 
workmen.  I  have  been  among  them  most  of  the 
day  showing  them  what  to  do.  In  the  evening 
they  gathered  about  my  house  to  know  how  much 
they  were  to  be  paid. 

"  Upingalo  (the  cook)  thinks  he  lias  too  much 
to  do;  so  Ngombalouda  came  to-night  (a  nice 
bright  boy,  who  had  been  Mrs.  M'Queen's  table 
and  pantry  boy),  and  he  is  to  stay  and  help  and  go 
on  with  his  studies.  I  let  him  stay,  chiefly  in  hope 
that  I  might  be  able  to  do  him  some  good.  I  am 
to  teach  the  four  mission  boys,  Upingalo,  Time, 
Mbata  and  Ngombalonda,  in  the  evenings.  As 
they  are  all  Christians  except  the  last,  I  find  great 
pleasure  in  having  them  about  me.  I  read  a  chap- 
ter with  them  in  Benga,  and  explain  it  as  w^e  go 
along.  Beside  this,  they  are  to  study  geography 
and  arithmetic,  etc.  This  is  in  my  own  room. 
We  have  public  prayers  every  morning  and  even- 
ing, which  many  people  attend.  I  read  a  chapter 
and  discourse  on  it,  and  we  then  sing  a  hymn  and 
have  prayer. 

"  While   the    young    men    were    in    my    room 


246  GEORGE  PA  ULL. 

to-night,  they  asked  me  if  I  liad  a  father.  I  said 
'  Yes,'  and  sliowed  them  his  picture.  They  looked 
at  it  and  said,  '  Ah,  he  is  a  good  man,  very  good. 
He  is  old ;  he  was  a  good  man  wlien  he  was 
young.' 

"  Uplngalo — 'Tell  him  Upingalo  says  he  is  an 
old  man.' 

"  Ume — '  Tell  him  when  I  go  to  America  I  will 
see  him.     This  face  looks  like  yours.' 

"  Age  is  the  great  thing  in  a  man,  Avith  them, 
which  demands  reverence  and  respect.  I  had  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Mackey  to-day,  saying  that  the 
trouble  at  Hauje  was  all  amicably  settled  before 
he  left. 

"  January  24. — This  evening  closes  a  busy  day, 
and  also  brings  a  good  deal  of  weariness  with  it. 
I  have  about  twenty-five  workmen  on  my  list  who 
require  to  have  everything  that  is  to  be  done 
marked  out  for  them ;  and  then  they  are  to  be 
watched  while  they  are  at  it,  lest  they  make  a  mis- 
take. I  have  four  out  of  the  twenty-five  posts  on 
wdiich  the  house  is  to  stand  already  in  the  ground, 
and  to-morrow  evening  I  hope  to  have  the  rest. 
AVe  put  them  doM'n  three  feet  in  the  ground.  I 
try  to  find  out  the  best  and  most  sensible  workmen, 
and  then  act  as  headman  for  the  rest.     Plenty  of 


GEORGE  PAULL.  247 

spectators  come  and  stand  about  to  see  what  is  go- 
ing on.  The  patent  tape-line  and  the  spirit-level 
call  forth  wonderful  admiration.  I  am  having  a 
road  cut  around  the  ground;  in  some  places  the 
workmen  actually  have  to  tunnel  through  the  thick 
bush,  leaving  a  perfect  roof  of  bushes  and  limbs 
overhead. 

"Our  evening  prayer  was  delightful  to-night; 
over  thirty  were  present,  to  whom  I  spoke  about 
half  an  hour  plainly  and  personally.  I  never  saw 
more  fixed  attention  and  more  unmistakable  in- 
terest in  what  was  said.  I  cannot  but  hope  that 
God  will  bless  his  truth  to  the  people.  One  man 
spoke  in.  reply  for  the  rest,  and  his  words  showed 
that  the  truths  they  had  heard  were  setting  them 
to  thinking. 

"  January  25. — The  list  of  workmen  has  in- 
creased to  thirty  to-day.  They  work  faithfully, 
carrying  tremendous  loads  of  timber,  as  much 
as  twelve  of  them  can  stagger  along  with.  They 
are  good-natured  and  even  jolly.  The  women  hack 
away  with  their  cutlasses,  though  they  do  not  ac- 
complish very  much.  I  sent  four  of  them  this 
morning  to  cut  a  path  on  the  other  side  of  a  ravine 
near  where  we  are  building  the  house.  But  from 
some  superstitious  notion  they  were  afraid  to  go. 


248  GEORGE  PAULL. 

They  said  men  might  work  there,  but  they  would 
die  if  they  went.  AVe  came  to  a  place  the  other  day 
from  which  the  men,  king,  headman  and  all  ran 
away.  They  said  they  had  buried  a  tiger  there,  and 
if  anybody  went  to  that  spot  it  would  bring  sick- 
ness on  the  people.  So  they  made  a  law  that  who- 
ever went  there  should  pay  a  great  fine. 

"  One  of  the  headmen  brouglit  me  a  present  of  a 
chicken  yesterday,  and  old  King  Mango,  who  lives 
two  or  three  miles  up  the  coast,  came  to  see  me  to-day 
wlicre  we  are  building.  He  brought  me  a  present 
of  a  chicken  and  a  large  bunch  of  plantains.  I 
seated  his  majesty  on  a  block  and  gave  him  my 
umbrella  to  keep  the  sun  off.  When  I  got  leisure 
I  came  Avith  him  to  the  house  where  I  live  (one- 
quai'tcr  of  a  mile  away),  and  made  him  a  present  of 
a  fine  butcher-knife,  with  which  he  was  greatly  de- 
lighted. I  hope  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  people  by 
kindness,  and  then  I  shall  have  the  better  oppor- 
tunity for  doing  them  good. 

"  January  26. — This  morning  the  rain  hin- 
dered us,  but  we  got  something  <lone  notwithstand- 
ing. All  the  posts  are  in  the  ground,  and  we  have 
commenced  putting  on  the  sills.  This  is  wearing 
work,  as  it  is  difficult  to  hew  and  make  them  fit 
properly.     I   came  to  dinner  perfectly  exhausted, 


GEORGE  PAULL.  249 

but  after  a  hearty  meal  and  a  short  rest  I  felt  as 
fresh  as  ever.  One  of  the  headmen  brought  me  a 
present  of  a  chicken  and  a  bunch  of  plantains.  I 
suppose  he  was  tempted  by  my  pr'^sent  to  the  king 
yesterday.  I  gave  him  a  hat.  Getting  presents 
of  chickens  and  plantains  is  very  expensive,  as  I 
have  to  give  a  dash  of  double  their  worth  in  return. 
I  have  the  men  now  cutting  a  path  direct  from 
where  we  are  working  to  the  town.  I  suppose  the 
people  will  be  glad  of  that.  They  never  go  to  the 
trouble  of  cutting  a  j)ath  if  they  can  avoid  it. 
They  prefer  to  go  half  a  mile  round. 

"  January  27. — This  morning  another  headman 
brought  me  a  present,  a  basket  of  corn  and  a  leg 
of  venison.  The  venison  was  something  of  a 
rai^ity,  though  the  bush  abounds  with  a  beautiful 
little  deer  which  the  people  sometimes  shoot.  A 
pair  of  pheasants  flew  up  before  me  to-day,  but  I 
scarcely  got  to  see  them  enough  to  say  what  they 
were  like.  I  saw  yesterday  a  most  beautiful 
bird,  black,  with  red  bill  and  a  white  ring  round 
its  neck.  It  had  five  or  six  long  tail-feathers, 
perhaps  six  inches  long.  Its  body  was  no  larger 
than  a  snow-bird. 

"  The  work  at  the  mission-house  is  progressing. 
The  three  heavy  sills  running  the  whole  length  of 


250  GEORGE  PAULL. 

the  house  are  hewn  and  nailed  on.  Much  of  the 
fitting  of  timbers  and  hewing  I  am  obliged  to  do 
myself;  and  in  the  evenings  I  feel  almost  exhausted. 
The  men  keep  in  good  spirits,  and  upon  the  whole 
are  the  best  Africans  to  work  that  I  have  ever  seen. 
Old  King  Mango  and  some  of  the  headmen  came  to 
see  me  this  evening  to  put  their  marks  to  the  deed 
and  get  their  pay  for  the  ground.  I  promised  to  be 
ready  for  them  to-morrow. 

"  The  morning  and  evening  prayers  are  well 
attended.  This  evening  over  thirty  were  present. 
I  try  to  teach  them  and  explain  the  Scriptures  as  I 
go  along. 

"  A  man  came  to  me  to-day  to  see  if  I  could  doc- 
tor his  wife's  arm.  By  some  means  the  shaft  of  an 
arrow  had  been  driven  through  it.  I  told  him  to 
bring  her  and  I  would  try  and  do  something  to 
help  it. 

"  January  28.— To-day  came  another  present 
from  a  headman,  of  a  bunch  of  j)lantains  and  a 
chicken.  In  the  afternoon  also  another  headman 
brought  me  a  part  of  a  large  fish.  I  set  the  work- 
men free  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  as 
they  had  been  working  hard  and  faithfully  all  the 
week ;  and  as  1  myself  was  tired,  and  had  beside 
appointed  this  afternoon  to  meet  the  headmen  to 


GEORGE  PAULL.  251 

pay  them  for  the  land,  and  write  them  a  'big 
book'  (a  kind  of  deed),  a  copy  of  which  I  keep  for 
myself  also.  I  had  written,  on  the  day  we  went 
around  the  land,  a  small  article,  just  to  seal  tlie 
bargain.  I  paid  the  six  headmen  and  the  king 
four  pieces  of  cloth,  two  shirts,  six  knives  and  a 
few  other  things,  all  of  which  in  America  would 
cost  about  ten  dollars.  These  they  divided  among 
themselves.  I  made  as  presents  also  (tokens  of 
friendship)  six  large  butcher  knives  to  the  head- 
men, and  to  the  king  I  gave  a  red  shirt.  As  we 
went  around  the  path  again  we  came  across  the 
bones  of  a  great  elephant  which  had  been  killed  a 
long  time  ago. 

"  January  29. — This  has  been  a  delightful  Sab- 
bath. In  the  morning  I  preached  to  a  congrega- 
tion of  considerably  over  a  hundred  people  crowded 
into  the  house  and  about  the  door.  Preached  on 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  Two  of  the  traders  M^ere  over 
from  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the  only  English 
traders  there,  and  about  twenty  people  beside. 
They  were  most  attentive,  and  I  cannot  but  hope 
that  God  will  bless  his  truth  plainly  spoken.  The 
traders  stayed  with  me  for  dinner.  In  the  afternoon 
we  had  a  prayer  meeting,  and  at  night  preaching 
again    to   a   good   and   attentive   audience.      Our 


252  GEORGE  PAULL. 

singing  lias  been  delightful.  One  of  the  Scripture 
readers  with  his  wife  from  Hanje  was  here,  and  one 
also  fr(»ni  Aje.  Xgombalonda,  one  of  the  mission 
boys,  is  my  clerk.  He  knows  many  tunes  and 
sings  very  well.  My  own  singing  powers  are  de- 
veloping somewhat. 

"  January  30. — To-day  I  have  been  sick  and 
scarcely  able  to  attend  to  building.  The  hot  sun 
this  morning  I  think  brought  it  on.  A  leopard 
came  into  town  last  night  and  killed  a  goat.  The 
people  are  a  good  deal  afraid  of  the  leopards. 

"February  1. — Yesterday  I  was  sick  with  a  slight 
attack  of  fever,  but  heavy  doses  of  quinine  have 
made  me  feel  quite  well  to-day.  The  work  of 
building  goes  on  prosperously.  Last  night  was  a 
sleepless  night  on  account  of  the  fever,  which  was 
just  leaving  me.  Umc  says,  *  Ah,  Mr.  Paull,  tlie 
people  of  America  make  us  very  sorry,  they  catch 
our  grandfather  and  carry  him  away,  they  carry 
away  our  people'  (alluding  to  the  slave  traders). 

"  February '6. — This  is  my  twenty-ninth  birthday 
(I  am  twenty-eight  years  old),  and  I  have  spent  it 
as  much  as  possible  in  quietness  and  alone,  telling 
the  men  to  get  along  as  best  they  could  without 
me.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  have  ten  minutes 
of  quiet  in  town,  so  I  went  out  into  the  bush.  Tlie 


GEORGE  PAULL.  253 

natives  gathered  about  me  to-night  in  the  bright 
moonlight,  while  I  told  them  some  things  about 
the  sun,  mOon  and  stars.  They  asked  why  they 
could  see  no  stars  when  the  moon  was  round. 
They  thought  it  was  because  all  the  stars  then 
gathered  themselves  together  to  the  moon  to  increase 
its  brightness. 

"February  5. — The  Mange  came  this  morning 
with  the  mail.  She  had  been  delayed  by  a  tornado. 
The  people  did  not  create  an  excitement  as  they 
would  have  done  on  another  day.  It  rained  this 
morning,  and  I  expected  scarcely  any  out  to 
church,  but  God  sent  me  one  hundred  and  ten. 
I  think  I  never  preached  so  stund:)lingly  since 
I  came  to  Africa.  But  God  can  bless  the  poorest 
effort. 

"The  Christians  tell  me  to-night  that  two  of 
the  natives  have  been  asking  them  how  to  pray 
with  all  their  hearts.  They  say  their  hearts  never 
troubled  them  as  they  do  now.  May  God  now 
commence  the  work  among  us  ! 

"Sabbath,  February  12.  —  This  has  been  a 
good  day.  The  attendance  at  church  was  one 
hundred  and  twenty — many  more  than  I  hoped 
for,  as  it  rained  in  the  morning.  Preached  on 
Isaiah,  fifty-fifth  chapter.     In  the  afternoon  meet- 


254  GEORGE  PAULL. 

ing  for  prayer,  and  at  night,  there  was  an  attend- 
ance of  Irom  tliirty  to  fifty,  and  most  solemn  at- 
tention as  I  preac'lied  on  tiie  personal  responsi- 
bility of  those  who  hear  the  word  of  God. 

^^  February  18. — This  evening  Isanga  came — one 
of  the  men  whose  '  heart  has  been  troubling  him.' 
He  says,  '  I  heard  from  Mbata  about  heaven  and 
hell  and  siu  and  death,  but  I  did  not  understand 
about  Christ.  When  you  came  and  told  us  about 
Christ  suffering  and  dying  to  save  us  sinners,  and 
about  his  being  the  Son  of  God  and  coming  to  die 
in  our  places,  I  asked  my  heart  if  it  was  its  sin 
that  made  Christ  die,  and  ever  since  my  heart 
troubled  me.'  Mbala  came  in  and  I  spoke  with 
him  ;  he  says  that  he  believes  the  truths  that  he 
hears,  but  they  do  not  trouble  him.  However,  he 
seems  to  be  trying  to  pray.  Upingalo  says  he 
heard  him  praying  the  other  night  at  midnight. 
He  says  the  young  men  are  also  beginning  to 
pray.  Tom  prays  at  midnight,  and  prays  a  good 
deal.  O  Sj)irit,  breathe  on  the  bones  in  this 
valley!  Jesus  seems  to  help  one  wonderfully 
when  he  walks  in  the  path  of  duty.  I  have 
never  in  niy  life  seemed  to  be  enabled  to  make 
the  way  of  salvation  so  plain  as  since  I  came 
among  the  j.eople  of  xVCrica.     Every  day  almost 


GEORGE  PAULL.  255 

my  heart  is  whispering,  '  Hasten,  hasten,  hasten ; 
do  not  lose  a  day  !  You  know  that  life  in  Africa 
is  short,  and  there  is  niucli  to  be  done.  Do  not 
let  your  time  be  taken  up  with  any  trifles,  but 
hasten  on  the  main  work — preach  the  gospel/ 

^'February  19. — This  seemed  a  barren  day  to 
my  soul.  No  desires  after  God,  heart  hard  and 
immovable,  with  no  strength  to  do  anything  good, 
but  always  failing  in  ray  good  resolves  to  do  for 
God.  So  I  felt  until  dark,  when  God  was  pleased 
to  visit  me  and  soften  my  feelings,  and  although  I 
felt  so  worthless,  as  having  done  not  a  thing  that 
could  stand  before  God  in  all  my  life,  yet  I  thought 
in  the  last  day  it  might  appear  that  he  had  used 
my  efforts  some  little  for  his  glory — that  possibly 
he  might  have  enabled  me  to  be  of  a  little  comfort 
to  some  of  his  people.  But  I  felt  so  weary  of  sin 
and  temptation  and  failure  to  glorify  God  as  I 
ought  that  I  earnestly  prayed  to  Jesus,  if  it  be  his 
will,  to  take  me  to  himself  out  of  the  world.  I 
tliought  of  myself  as  having  sinned  against  God 
from  my  birth,  and  yet  God  pitied  me  and  bore 
with  me  and  would  not  cut  me  off,  but  sent  his 
Son  to  die  for  me.  Wlien  I  thought  of  the  won- 
derful f)rbearance  of  God  my  heart  was  melted  to 
tears. 


256  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"To-night  I  preached  on  'God  so  loved  the 
world,'  etc.  Preached  with  some  degree  of  feel- 
ing and  warmth,  and  the  people  were  most  atten- 
tive. After  service  I  asked  those  who  wished  to 
talk  about  Christ  to  stay,  or  those  who  wished  to 
inquire  how  they  might  be  saved.  Some  twenty 
remained.  I  asked  if  they  all  remained  to  talk 
about  Christ,  and  they  said  that  they  did.  Six 
of  them  said  their  hearts  had  been  troubling  them 
on  account  of  their  sins.  One  man  said  he  would 
not  speak  about  himself  now,  but  he  would  pray 
on  and  pray  on  and  pray  on  until  Christ  changed 
his  heart,  and  then  he  would  come  and  tell  me  of 
it.  Several  women  remained  wdio  seemed  seriously 
disposed  ;  one  expressed  a  desire  to  be  a  Christian. 
Preached  this  morning  on  the  fifty-first  Psalm — 
about  seventy-five  people  present.  Talked  in 
the  afternoon  prayer-meeting  about  heaven  and 
its  desirableness. 

^'Monday,  February  20.  —  Oh,  I  am  struck 
dumb  with  strange  feelings!  I  believe  God  is 
working  by  his  Spirit  among  this  people.  To- 
night after  prayers,  at  which  there  was  a  large 
attendance,  the  houseful  seemed  to  stand  still  and 
sit  down  again  as  though  not  ready  to  leave.  I, 
however,  came  on  into   my  own  little  home,  and 


GEORGE  PAULL.  257 

three  or  four  of  those  who  expressed  concern  last 
night  followed  me  and  sat  down,  seemuig  desirous 
to  speak,  so  I  spoke  with  them  and  found  them  ap- 
parently much  concerned.  Others  came  in  to  the 
number  of  nine  —  every  one  declaring  himself  to 
be  concerned  and  troubled  on  account  of  his  sins — ■ 
Ebuma,  Miodi,  Madoha,  Beduka,  Ikuba,  Ijabi, 
Upinda,  Jumna,  Xgambalonda.  I  spent,  perhaps, 
an  hour  and  a  half  talking  with  each  one  and  try- 
ing to  show  them  ihe  way  to  Christ.  O  God,  my 
heart  is  full !  I  would  hide  myself  away  in  the 
dust !  Do  thou  work  for  thyself  among  this  peo- 
ple I  Some  of  them  say  that  their  trouble  arises 
from  a  feeling  that  they  have  a  sinful  heart. 
Ebuma  says  he  has  always  'svondered  where  he 
was  to  go  to  when  he  died,  and  now  he  hears  of 
heaven  and  hell  and  is  troubled,  and  wishes  to  find 
the  way  to  heaven. 

"  Tuesday,  21st. — O  Lord  my  God,  I  do  not 
know  what  to  say.  I  ought  to  hide  my  face  in  the 
dust,  and  I  feel  like  hiding  away  from  thy  presence, 
lest  by  some  word  or  act  or  neglect  of  duty  I 
should  grieve  thy  spirit,  if  indeed  thou  hast  com- 
menced to  work  among  this  people.  But,  O  Lord, 
if  it  is  thy  work,  thou  hast  commenced  it  and  thou 
wilt   not  suffer  my  follies   to  stop  it.     Thou  wilt 

17 


258  (.iEORill-:  J'Al'LL. 

not  suffer  any  tiling  to  stop  it,  but  wilt  carry  it  on 
to  thy  name's  everlasting  glory.  Grlory,  glory  bo 
unto  thee,  O  God !  Thou  livest  aucl  reignest  in 
mercy  and  kindness;  this  is  my  hope. 

"This  evenino;  there  was  a  much  larger  attcnd- 
ance  than  usual  on  j)rayers,  and  the  people  were 
solemnly  attentive.  They  had  no  disposition  to 
rise  and  go  away  after  it  was  over.  I  spoke  to 
them  of  their  danger  and  lost  condition,  and  tried 
to  show  them  tliat  Christ  was  their  only  helper, 
and  urged  them  to  seek  him.  Five  followed  me 
into  my  room  to  inquire  the  way  to  Christ — Bcduka 
and  his  wife,  Bela  (1)  and  Bela  (2)  and  Tom. 
They  seem  to  be  really  concerned  for  their  souls' 
salvation.  Some  of  them  have  a  most  clear  view 
of  their  lo-^t  and  helpless  and  sinful  condition.  I 
am  astonished  at  their  Scriptural  knowledge  of 
their  state.  O  God,  revive  thy  work  !  Saviour, 
pour  down  thy  spirit  as  showers  upon  the  mown 
grass ! 

"  February  22. — To-night  was  our  prayer-meet- 
ing. The  attendance  was  as  large  as  it  u.'^ually  is 
ou  Sabbath  evenings  at  church.  I  spoke  on  Acts, 
chapter  second,  'Out-pouring  of  the  spirit, and  call 
to  repentance.'  Some  remained  to  make  inquiries 
how  they  might  be  saved.     The  words  of    Isanga 


GEORGE  PAULL.  259 

and  Ebnma  were  especially  interesting  and  encour- 
aging. 

'^February  23, — Oh  God,  I  am  filled  with  won- 
der at  thy  ways  of  dealing !  Who  by  searching 
can  find  out  God?  Art  thou  in  very  deed  visiting 
this  people  with  the  reviving  influence  of  thy 
spirit?  A  full  house  at  prayers,  to  which  I  spoke 
at  considerable  length  on  the  '  Barren  fig-tree  and 
the  strait  gate.'  Surely  I  never  saw  more  fixed 
and  solemn  attention,  but  no  display  of  feeling.  I 
was  enabled  to  speak  very  solemnly  and  pointedly. 
I  invited  those  who  wished  to  ask  any  questions  or 
to  talk  about  Christ  to  come  into  my  room.  Five 
followed  me.  Two  of  them,  Bomani  and  Besaka, 
liad  never  spoken  with  me  before,  the  other  three 
had.  All  the  young  men  in  town  seem  to  be  pray- 
ing. They  are  heard  at  midnight  lifting  up  their 
voices  to  God  in  prayer.  Almost  every  one  who 
has  come  to  me  has  made  this  remark :  '  We  heard 
from  the  Scripture  reader  before  about  God  and 
heaven  and  hell,  and  our  hearts  did  not  trouble  us, 
but  since  you  told  us  about  Christ  we  feel  trouble 
in  our  hearts.'  One  noble  young  fellow,  wdiom  I 
have  noticed  apparently  much  interested,  came  last 
night  and  said  with  much  earnestness,  '  Tell  me 
how  to  pray,'     To-night  he  came  again  with  every 


260  GEORGE  PAULL. 

indication  of  cleci)est  earnestness  and  said,  '  I  come 
to  ask  you  how  to  love  Christ.  My  heart  keeps 
saying,  Love  Clirist !  love  Christ !  Tell  me  liow  to 
love  hini.'  Tlie  deep  sincerity  of  this  young  man 
is  most  interesting.  'I  came  to  tell  you  before 
that  my  lieart  was  in  trouble,  but  now  it  troubles 
me  more  and  more.  It  did  not  trouble  mc  until  I 
heard  the  things  you  told  us  about  Christ.'  One 
young  man  came  who  has  been  much  concerned  for 
two  or  three  weeks  and  was  one  of  the  first  two. 
There  are  some  things  that  seem  hopeful  in  his 
case;  perhaps  he  has  been  led  to  believe.  The 
most  surprising  thing  about  these  young  men 
is  their  Scriptural  knowledge,  although  until 
November  last  they  had  never  heard  the  gospel, 
M'ith  the  exception  of  a  few  who  had  heard  some- 
thing of  it  from  a  Scripture- reader  at  Meduma. 
God's  sj)irit,  I  am  convinced,  must  himself  have 
taught  them  the  things  they  know. 

''Sabbath,  February  26.— To-day  I  have  tried 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  perishing  sinners.  There 
was  in  the  morning  a  congregation  of  more  than  a 
hundred.  I  preached  on  '  The  Son  of  man  is  come 
to  seek  and  to  save,'  etc.  Many  listened  with 
fixed  and  earnest  attention.  In  the  afternoon 
prayer-meeting  I  spoke  on  '  The  kindness  and  love 


GEORGE  PAULL.  261 

of  Christ/  as  shown  in  healing  those  wlio  came  to 
him.  There  was  much  earnest  attention  by  all, 
and  some  apparent  tenderness.  Oh  that  the  word 
of  Christ  might  enter  into  their  hearts,  and  that 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  might  change  them  ! 
At  night  I  spoke  on  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Luke, 
explaining  it.  Afterwards  I  asked  those  who  had 
talked  with  me  to  remain.  They  were  not  all 
present;  eight,  however,  remained.  God  has  evi- 
dently been  at  work  in  their  hearts.  One  (Tom) 
I  almost  hope  is  a  Christian.  He  says,  'My  heart 
does  not  feel  as  it  did.  It  was  all  dark  before,  but 
now  it  is  different.  To-day,  when  you  preached 
about  Christ  coming  to  save  the  lost,  it  made  me 
cry.  I  thought,  I  am  a  lost  sinner,  and  Christ  has 
come  to  save  me.'  Bela  seems  much  concerned. 
I  never  have  seen  deeper  and  more  earnest  and 
anxious  attention  than  I  have  seen  on  the  faces  of 
many  to-day.  As  I  walked  out  after  this  morning's 
service  to  find  a  place  of  quiet  and  retirement,  I 
met  one  native  Christian  and  a  native  who  had 
been  out  to  the  bush  to  pray.  The  native  was 
much  concerned  and  had  asked  to  be  taught.  He 
was  one  who  had  been  to  hear  me  once  or  twice 
before.  I  sat  down  on  the  grass  and  tried  to  show 
him  the  way  to  Christ. 


202  GEORGE  PAULL. 

"  I  vislteil  Mang(ji's  town  a  day  or  two  ago  and 
sj)oke  to  them  about  Christ.  The  king  was  just 
about  buying  another  wife;  his  wives  were  all  dead 
but  one.  I  told  him  one  was  enough,  and  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  turn  from  heathenism  unto  God. 
He  said  he  believed  he  would  not  get  another  wife 
now.     Perhaps  he  A\()uld  buy  a  slave-woman. 

"  Feb  mar  1/  27. — This  has  been  a  day  of  joy  and 
grief— joy  because  God's  work  is  prospering,  but 
I  was  made  to  grieve  beeause  I  find  that  the  devil 
was  hard  at  work,  too.  I  paid  a  visit  to  M'Lach- 
lan  (trader),  on  the  other  side.  He  spoke  of  put- 
ting a  factory  right  among  my  people — a  rum-shop 
to  ruin  the  mission  work.  I  plead  for  God  and  his 
cause  with  all  the  strength  I  could.  May  God 
break  the  teeth  of  his  enemies !  At  night  also  iu 
the  town  there  was  a  drunken  frolic  while  we  were 
at  meeting,  and  one  of  the  men  who  had  been  most 
concerned  about  his  soul  was  in  it.  Rum  was 
bought  from  the  traders.  So  the  devil  works.  At 
nigiit,  however,  we  had  a  good  meeting,  and  for  this 
in  my  heart  I  can  thank  God.  Thirteen  or  four- 
teen stayed  in  after  the  meeting  was  over  to  ask 
and  learn  the  way  to  Christ.  Some  of  them  I  had 
talked  with  before.  Five  women  stayed  this  time. 
Some  of  them  seemed  to  be  a  good  deal  concerned. 


,  GEORGE  PAULL.  263 

Oh,   I    trust  God  will  yet  convert  multitudes  of 
these  people  to  himself. 

" Ilarch  2.  —  The  interest  of  those  who  have 
been  inquiring  the  way  to  God  seems  unabated. 
About  fifteen  stayed  in  to-night  to  inquire  and  hear 
about  God.  I  appointed  Saturday  afternoon  fur 
them  all  to  come.  The  people  of  Hanje  and  Aje 
are  coming  out  encouragingly  to  church.  My 
house  is  wellnigh  finished  with  the  exception  of 
the  floors. 

^^  Saturday y  March  4. — This  afternoon  I  had  ap- 
pointed to  meet  the  inquirers.  There  were  four- 
teen or  fifteen  present  beside  the  Christians.  I 
talked  to  them  long  and  tried  to  explain  the  way 
to  Christ.  I  talked  to  a  full  house  to-night  on 
'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God.'  I  feel  quite  weary 
to-night,  and  am  glad  of  it,  from  tiying  to  serve 
Christ.  I  have  walked  about  six  miles  and  dis- 
coursed four  times  to-day. 

"Sabbath,  March  5. — This  morning  I  preached 
to  about  one  hundred  people  on  '  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,'  etc.  I  had  much  freedom  in  thought  and 
word  and  illustration.  In  the  afternoon  prayer- 
meeting  I  spoke  a  little  on  'Christ  a  propitiation 
for  our  sins.'  To-night  I  discoursed  on  the  terrible 
catalogue  of  heathen  sins   in  the  first  chapter  of 


iit)4  GEORGE  PA  i'LL.  ^ 

Romans.  The  i)co])le  said, 'This  is  all  true;  we 
commit  them  ail.'  J  talked  with  Isanga,  Ebiima, 
Ihuba,  Bela,  Beduka  and  Bomani.  These  all, 
except  Beduka,  had  some  most  encouraging  things 
about  them.  If  in  another  land  and  among  a  more 
enlightened  people,  their  answers  would  make  me 
think  them  Christians.  I  cannot  tell;  God  know- 
eth.  Tom  also  some  days  since  gave  some  encour- 
aging evidence  of  a  change  of  heart. 

" 3[ondai/,  March  6. — This  day  I  am  run  down 
M'ith  the  work  of  yesterday  and  Saturday,  and  felt 
unable  to  do  anything.  But  about  noon  the  natives 
brought  me  -word  that  Williams,  a  trader  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  had  died.  I  took  boat  and 
boatmen  and  went  over.  I  found  Captain  Finley 
there,  of  the  Gordon's  schooner.  Mr.  Williams  had 
died  on  board  the  schooner,  and  Captain  Fin- 
ley  had  already  buried  him.  The  natives  had  dug 
the  grave  with  their  hands,  and  a  picket  fence  was 
])ut  around  it.  He  died  without  a  thought  of 
death,  and  I  suppose  had  not  a  hope  to  light  the 
grave.  I  tried  to  urge  the  captain  to  be  ready 
also  when  he  should  be  called  to  go,  but  his  hard- 
ened heart  turned  off  the  subject  like  steel.  It 
must  be  hard  to  die  alone  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
unless  the  hope  of  better  things  beyond  cheer  the 


GEORGE  PAULL,  265 

darkness,  and  tlien  nothing  might  be  considered 
easier.  I  am  feverish  to-niglit  and  a  good  deal 
unwell." 

From  Benita,  IMr.  Paull  wrote,  March  12,  18S5, 
to  his  missionary  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer : 
"  Please  accept  many  thanks  for  both  yonr  kind 
letters,  I  now  look  lor  my-Corisco  mail  almost  as 
anxiously  as  for  my  American  mails,  particularly 
since  the  American  one  for  the  two  last  times  has 
been  playing  me  false.  It  seems  a  long  time  since 
I  saw  you,  but  I  trust  it  will  not  be  many  weeks 
till  I  will  be  among  you  for  a  little  while.  Chris- 
tian fellowship  is  hard  to  give  up.  The  commu- 
nion of  saints  may  well  be  precious  to  us  now,  for 
it  is  one  of  the  things  that  will  last  for  ever. 
There  w'ill  be  so  many  things,  however,  to  add 
to  its  sweetness  in  heaven  that  we  shall  scarcely 
be  able  to  recognize  it  as  the  communion  of  saints 
Avhich  we  enjoyed  on  earth.  This  is  good,  but 
that  will  be  infinitely  better.  It  is  well  that  "we 
are  not  able  here  to  realize  all  its  excellence  and 
preciousness,  else  earth  would  seem  to  us  like  a 
dreary  journey  through  a  wintry  night,  and  we 
should  mourn  like  doves  until  the  time  would 
come  when  we  might  Hy  away  and  join  the  dear 
company.      I  thank  you  heartily  for  the  prayers 


266  GEORGE  PAULL. 

that  I  know  you  send  up  on  my  behalf.  The 
prayei's  of  fi'iends  seem  to  me  to  have  done  more 
for  me  than  anything  else  in  this  world.  The 
prayers,  too,  that  have  gone  up  for  God's  blessing 
on  this  station  have,  I  trust,  been  answered  at  least 
in  some  measure.  There  have  been  several  asking 
how  they  may  find  Christ,  and  some  of  them,  I 
trust,  have  learned  the  way  to  him.  I  wrote  you 
by  the  last  mail  of  two  who  were  asking  the  way 
to  God.  On  the  Sabbath  evening  after  the  mail 
went  to  Corisco  several  others  began  to  inquire,  and 
since  that  others,  until  some  fifteen  or  eighteen  have 
been  to  speak  with  me  about  '  the  trouble  in  their 
hearts.'  I  have  talked  much  with  them  and  la- 
bored much  to  make  the  way  to  Jesus  plain. 
Some  of  them,  I  trust,  have  found  it,  and  are 
resting  in  him.  How  the  sweet  story  of  Jesus 
dying  for  our  sins  melts  the  heart!  Most  of  these 
young  men  say,  '  It  did  not  trouble  our  hearts  to 
know  about  God  and  heaven  and  hell,  but  when 
you  told  us  about  Jesus  coming  down  and  dying 
for  our  sins,  then  our  hearts  troubled  us.'  I  rejoice 
greatly  that  God  is  doing  something  for  his  own 
glory,  and  I  long  and  ])ray  that  he  will  yet  work 
mightily  all  along  this  coast.  I  think  in  my  heart 
I   would  desire  to  glorify  him,  but  surely  I  have 


GEORGE  I'AULL.  267 

never  in  ray  life  felt  myself  to  be  such  a  worthless, 
miserable  atom  in  creation  as  within  the  last  three 
or  four  weeks.  But  my  joy  is  that  God  does  not 
need  the  help  of  any  man ;  he  will  work  himself, 
after  all,  and  leave  us  to  look  on. 

"I  have  had  quite  an  attack  of  fever  in  the  last 
\veek,  though  I  am  entirely  over  it  now.  I  sup- 
pose I  did  not  follow  my  dear  sister's  advice,  or  I 
would  not  perhaps  have  had  it.  A  week  ago  on 
Saturday  I  walked  up  the  river,  preaching  in  the 
towns,  and  then  preaching  twice  on  Sabbath,  which 
proved  to  be  a  little  more  than  I  ought  to  have 
done.  I  hope  wisdom  will  come  by  experience.  I 
am  sure  I  want  to  live  if  I  can  do  anything  for 
Africa.  A  young  trader  died  last  week.  He  has 
gone  to  his  account.  He  died  without  a  thought 
of  death.  I  fear  he  had  a  dreary  entrance  into 
eternity. 

"  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  until  we  may  speak 

face  to  face.     With  much   love  to  both,  afifection- 

atelv,  your  brother, 

"Geo.  Paull." 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  James,  dated  "Benita 
River  Station,  March  11,  1865,"  after  expressing 
his  affliction  in  the  loss  of  the  American  mail  which 
went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  in  the  steamer,. 


208  GEORGE  FA  ULL. 

which  sunk  shortly  after  leaving  Liverpool  for 
Africa,  Mr.  Puiill  writes :  "  I  am  greatly  rejoiced 
that  God  has  sent  me  to  labor  among  the  mainland 
tribes.  Jf  there  are  any  privations  connected  "vvith 
it,  I  take  it  as  high  honor  that  lie  puts  me  to  bear 
them.  If  there  be  any  good  done,  from  my  heart 
I  think  I  can  say  that  I  desire  the  glory  to  be  his, 
and  I  have  high  hopes  that  he  will  yet  accomplish 
much  for  his  own  glory  here.  Since  I  last  wrote 
home  God  iias  done  many  things  to  gladden  my 
heart.  On  Sabbath  evening  three  W'eeks  ago,  after 
feelings  of  great  depression,  and  a  deep  sense  of 
utter  helplessness  and  worthlessness  in  the  world,  I 
preached  on  John  iii.  16,  17  :  *  For  God  so  loved 
the  world,'  etc.  And  God  was  pleased,  I  trust,  to 
bless  it  to  the  good  of  some  of  these  poor  heathen. 
Some  had  seemed  thoughtful  before,  and  many  were 
so  earnestly  attentive  to  the  truth  that  I  thought 
it  good  to  ask  that  all  might  remain  after  the  bene- 
diction who  were  anxious  to  know  more  of  Christand 
of  the  way  to  him.  Quite  a  number  remained, 
five  or  six  of  whom  complained  of  their  hearts 
troul^ling  them  on  account  of  sin.  Since  that  fif- 
teen or  eighteen  have  come  to  my  little  native  hut 
to  speak  with  me  about  their  souls.  Some  of  them 
are  really  and  dceijly  concerned,  and  some  of  them 


GEORGE  PAULL.  269 

I  think  have  found  Christ,  and  are  believing  in  him. 
One  young  man  who  had  been  a  great  sinner  before, 
now  says  that  he  hates  his  old  life,  and  does  not  wish 
to  live  it  again.  He  says  :  'My  heart  not  feel  now 
like  it  did  ;  when  you  preach  to-day  about  Christ 
coming  to  save  the  lost,  I  feel  I  be  lost  sinner,  and 
Christ  he  save  me,  and  it  make  me  weep.'  With 
but  few  exceptions  they  never  heard  the  gospel 
until  last  November,  when  I  made  a  trip  here,  and 
left  Mbata  as  a  Scripture  reader.  Since  I  have 
been  here  I  have  tried  morning  and  evening  to  in- 
struct them  as  to  the  evil  of  their  hearts  and  their 
utterly  lost  and  helpless  condition,  but  especially 
pointing  them  to  Christ,  and  trying  to  open  up  to 
them  his  fullness  and  freeness  and  willingness  to 
save.  I  have  long  felt  that  Christ  is  everything  to 
sinners,  and  preaching  anything  else  is  of  no  use. 
And  it  is  wonderful  how  the  simple  love  of  Christ 
is  able  to  melt  even  the  heathen  heart.  Almost 
every  one  that  came  to  me  said,  '  We  heard  of  God 
and  heaven  and  hell  from  the  Scripture  I'eader,  but 
it  did  not  trouble  us;  but  when  you  told  us  about 
Christ  coming  into  the  world  and  dying  for  our 
sins,  then  our  iiearts  trouble  us  much.'  If  only  one 
soul  be  saved  from  heathenish  darkness  and  eternal 
death,  and  be    made   an    heir   of  glory  by   words 


270  GEOEOJ-J  PAULL. 

that  God  sliall  enable  ine  to  speak,  then  I  sliall 
have  reason  to  bless  him  for  ever  that  he  has  sent 
nie  to  Afriea. 

"  I  sat  to-night  musin<^  about  home,  and  think- 
ing how  delightful  it  would  be  to  spend  an  evening 
with  you  all,  and  especially  a  Sabbath  evening,  as 
you  are  gathered  around  the  fire.  My  life  is  now 
altogether  without  those  comforts  of  home  and 
friends,  and  I  scarcely  ever  see  the  face  of  a  white 
man,  except  it  be  an  occasional  trader,  since  I  came 
here.  But  I  am  far  happier  here,  feeling  that  lam 
doing  something  for  God,  than  I  have  ever  been  at 
home,  where  I  have  often  felt  that  my  days  were 
idly,  almost  sinfully,  floating  away.  It  is  not  ease 
or  comfort  that  can  make  us  happy :  it  is  only  the 
feeling  that  we  are  redeeming  the  time  for  God 
that  can  give  us  peace.  I  do  not  know  whether 
my  life  in  Africa  will  be  long  or  short,  nor  does 
that  give  me  any  trouble,  so  I  be  sure  that  my 
heart  is  wholly  fixed  on  Christ.  This  is  all  that 
need  give  me  any  concern.  But  whatever  the 
length  of  my  life  may  be,  I  trust  God  will  en- 
able me  to  give  it  all  for  Africa.  Every  earthly 
thing  is  very  small  when  eternity  opens  up  before 
us,  and  we  are  wrong  if  we  do  not  always  keep 
eternity  in  the  foreground.     If  it  make  us  solemn, 


GEORGE  PAULL.  271 

all  the  better;  we  have  no  right  to  be  anything  else 
but  solemn  ;  for  surely  it  is  a  solemn  thing  to  live 
and  still  more  so  to  die ;  so  that  living  or  dying, 
we  ought  to  be  solemn.  Our  hearts  are  apt  to  plead 
for  a  little  mirth  and  levity,  and  they  say  these 
things  will  not  harm  us  ;  but  they  only  tell  us  lies ; 
they  would  ruin  us  if  they  could  ;  the  Scriptures  call 
them  '  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 
wicked.'  I  am  sure  we  have  no  enemy  so  bad  or  so 
dangerous  as  our  own  hearts. 

"  I  have  not  yet  got  into  my  new  house,  but  hope 
to  do  so  shortly.  There  is  a  delightful  breeze 
always  fanning  the  rooms  and  a  fine  view  over 
the  sea,  that  strangely  contrasts  with  my  present 
abode,  which  is  hemmed  in  with  plantain  trees  all 
around  the  town,  so  that  the  little  houses  can 
scarcely  be  seen,  and  the  house  has  no  windows  to 
admit  the  breeze.  I  suppose  I  would  be  able  to 
get  some  monkey  meat  if  I  wished  it.  One  of  the 
men  shot  one  the  other  day,  but  I  did  not  get  to  see 
it  till  he  had  burned  all  the  hair  off  it  except  the 
tail.  This  is  the  way  they  cook  them,  Avith  the 
skin  on.  It  was  a  little  red  one — red  as  a  fox. 
There  are  great  numbers  of  them  in  the  bush.  The 
same  man  also  speared  a  shark  in  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  and  another  shot  a  deer  on  the  beach 


272  GEORGE  PAULL. 

near  town.  There  is  abundance  of  game,  but  the 
guns  they  have  are  so  worthless  they  rarely  kill 
anything. 

"  The  last  mail  brought  me  a  paper  from  ^[r. 
Tliompson,  of  Glasgow,  which  says  there  are  many 
rumors  and  a  good  prospect  of  peace  in  America. 
I  sincerely  hope  it  may  be  so,  and  that  this  sorrosv- 
ful  war  will  soon  be  ended  and  the  country  again 
united." 

To  his  mother: 

"CoRisco,  A[nll  10,  1865. 

"  Your  letters  and  one  from  James  reached  me 
yesterday.  These  brought  me  the  only  tidings 
from  home  that  I  have  had  for  three  months.  The 
letters  which  you  Avrote  me  in  November  and 
December,  I  suppose,  are  in  the  bottom  of  the 
English  Channel,  a  loss  which  I  deplore  more  than 
you  can  tell.  I  see  by  one  of  my  last  letters  that 
Cousin  Thomas  Foster  has  gone  to  rest.  I  hope  he 
has  gone  to  the  land  from  which,  if  we  once  enter, 
we  go  no  more  out.  Uncle  and  Aunt  B.  have  had 
heavy  shadows  drifting  over  them  these  late  years. 
I  trust  when  the  sun  shines  again  its  beams  will 
be  the  purer  and  brigliter  for  the  cloudy  days. 
You  see  from  the  date  of  my  letter  that  I  am  now 
at  Corisco,  though  I  expect  to  go  back  to  my  Benita 


GEORGE  PAULL.  273 

home  in  a  day  or  two,  I  came  down  to  attend 
communion,  the  mission-meeting  and  meeting  of 
Presbytery.  My  stay  here  lias  been  very  pleasant 
and  refreshing;  after  ien  weeks'  absence  from  white 
faces,  and  Corisco  too  seems  like  a  home,  though 
my  own  station  among  the  Kombes  has  a  hold  on 
my  heart  which  makes  the  thought  of  going  back 
to  it  very  pleasant.  The  interest  among  the  people 
there  in  reference  to  the  things  that  make  for  their 
peace,  causes  me  to  wish  to  be  among  them  again, 
with  the  hope  that  the  divine  spark  will  be  re- 
kindled and  many  more  inquire  the  way  to  Zion. 
I  wish  and  pray  that,  with  a  heart  undivided  by 
any  earthly  thing,  I  may  be  enabled  to  labor  in 
my  wide  field  for  the  glory  of  our  King  and  the 
salvation  of  the  people. 

"  I  had  a  letter  from  my  Scotch  friend,  Mr. 
George  Thompson,  saying  that  he  had  sent  a  box 
of  canned  meats  for  me  and  Mrs.  Nassau  by  tlio 
ship  St.  George.  He  had  seen  IStrs.  Nassau  on 
her  way  home  through  Scotland.  The  meats  have 
ariived,  I  am  glad  the  box  from  Africa  reached 
home  and  gave  you  some  pleasure.  I  hope  some 
day  to  send  you  a  larger  one.  I  had  hoped  this 
mail  would  bring  us  tidings  of  an  honorable  peace, 
but  the  day  still  seems  distant. 

IS 


274  ar.oiKiE  I'AVLL. 

"  I  do  Mot  know  any  thought  more  comn  rling 
and  pleasant  than  that  ot"  dwelling  for  ever  in  the 
ages  to  eonie  with  the  meek  and  (jniet  in  spirit — a 
harmonious  and  happy  family,  undisturbed  by 
passion,  and  filled  and  permeated  with  eternal  and 
unehanging  love.  Those  who  have  most  of  love  in 
them  upon  earth  are  nearest  to  heaven,  and  love 
grows  in  us  just  in  jiroportion  as  selfishness  and 
worldliness  dies. 

*'  My  health  in  my  new  home  has  been  wonder- 
fully good  exeept  one  or  two  little  touches  of  fever 
which  are  common  to  all,  and  which  come  and  go 
in  a  day  or  two  ;  but  I  came  down  looking  much 
better,  the  missionaries  tell  me,  than  when  I  went 
away.  I  hope  I  shall  be  spared  in  Africa  many 
years  yet  to  come. 

^' April  13. — Started  for  Benita  again  this  morn- 
ing with  two  boats  loaded  with  furniture,  goods 
and  provisions.  The  moon  came  up  like  a  ball  of 
fire,  at  7  o'clock,  and  we  sailed  along  in  the  beauti- 
ful moonlight,  reaching  Benita  about  12  o'clock  at 
night.  Many  of  the  people  came  with  their  hearty 
welcome  and  helped  us  unload  the  boat.  I  slept 
in  my  new  house  for  the  first  time,  on  a  mattress 
thrown  on  the  floor. 

^^ April    14. — Breakfasted    on    some    provisions 


GEORUE  PAULL.  275 

Mrs.  Mackey  sent  along,  my  table  a  chest  and  the 
floor  my  chair.  Very  busy  putting  down  matting, 
setting  up  bedsteads,  wardrobe  and  book-case  and 
unpacking  stores.  The  people  in  the  house  all  day 
in  crowds,  some  helping,  others  looking  on,  all 
Seeming  glad. 

"  Sabb(tth,  April  15. — This  has  been  a  good  and 
glad  day.  Discoiu'sed  three  times  in  my  new 
house  to  good,  serious  and  attentive  audiences — 
morning  on  '  Blind  Bartimeus,'  afternoon,  '  Ye 
will  not  come  unto  me,'  evening  '  What  think  ye 
of  Christ?'  —  chiefly  endeavoring  to  hold  up 
Christ  in  his  mediatorial  work,  urging  all  to  accept 
of  him.  I  seem  to  feel  that  God's  spirit  is  present 
with  us  yet,  as  I  trust  he  was  before  I  went  away. 

"April  20. — Kema's  daughter  seems  to  have  be- 
come really  serious.  1  see  her  always  present  at 
prayers  morning  and  night,  whether  it  rains  or  not 
— often  the  only  woman  present.  It  is  a  strange 
feature  here  that  the  women  are  the  very  last  to 
become  interested  in  spiritual  things." 

We  now  come  to  Mr.  Paull's  last  letter,  which 
was  finished  by  Mr.  Mackey,  at  his  request.  It 
was  addressed  from  Benita  River  Station,  April  17, 
1865,  to  his  brother  James  : 

"My  indebtedness  is  to  you  this  time.     I  feel 


27G  GEORGK  I'M'LL. 

very  grateful  to  you  and  inotlier  and  Lizzie  for 
having  kept  me  so  well  informed  of  the  progress 
of  tilings  at  home.  The  wide  gap  that  the  loss  of 
two  months'  mails  made  was  no  fault  of  yours,  but 
one  of  those  providences  which  come  divinely 
ordered,  doing  their  work  and  leaving  us  to  wonder 
why  they  came.  I  Avrote  to  mother  and  Lizzie 
while  I  was  at  Corisco.  I  am  so  far  from  the 
*  central  point'  it  is  necessary  to  take  every  oppor- 
tunity lest  I  get  to  send  no  letter  at  all;  so  my 
dates  will  be  very  irregular,  though  I  hope  to  get 
a  letter  to  you  by  every  mail.  I  write  this  now,  as 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  go  to  Corisco  again  in  about 
two  weeks,  and  1  wish  to  leave  it  there  for  the 
mail.  I  would  not  go  if  I  did  not  feel  that  it  was 
important  to  be  there  on  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Clark 
and  the  departure  of  Mr.  ]\L\ckey,  so  that  we  may 
consult  all  tcjgether  about  the  interests  and  pros- 
pects of  our  work.  A  sea  voyage  of  over  one 
hundred  miles  (there  and  back)  in  an  open  boat, 
and  almost  constant  sun  or  rain,  is  not  a  very  dcliglit- 
ful  undertaking.  The  chief  part  of  my  work,  how- 
ever, will  require  boating  up  and  down  the  coast, 
but  the  journeys  will  neither  be  so  hard  nor  so  long 
as  that  to  Corisco. 

'*  We  had  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  while  I  was 


GEORGE  EAULL.  277 

at  Corisco,  and  divided  the  church,  making  ar- 
rangements to  organize  the  second  one  here;  so 
my  charge  will  now  lie  north  of  Cape  St,  John — 
a  point  about  halfway  between  this  and  Corisco — 
and  extends  as  far  north  above  this  as  I  am  able  to 
go.  I  hope  we  shall  soon  have  a  station  here  and 
there  like  a  line  of  beacon-lights,  all  along  the  coast, 
pouring  out  their  bright  light  for  the  safety  and  sal- 
vation of  Africa's  bewildered  ones.  Within  two  or 
three  months  the  church  will  be  organized  here, 
and  one  of  the  missionaries  will  be  up  to  help  me 
at  the  organization.  My  visit  to  Corisco  was  a 
pleasant  one;  it  was  good  to  be  among  the  mission- 
aries after  a  tolerably  long  absence,  and  they  greeted 
me  with  warm  welcomes. 

"Ajjril  18. — I  laid  my  matting  on  the  study  to- 
day, put  up  the  book-case,  wardrobe  and  bedstead, 
so  that  the  room  begins  to  look  somewhat  comfort- 
able, at  least  much  better  than  my  quondam  home 
in  the  native  hut.  And  as  I  hope  to  make  S'-.me 
more  additions  of  furniture  after  a  while,  I  reed 
not  envy  any  one  his  comforts. 

"I  left  Ngambalonda  at  Corisco,  but  have  m- 
other  boy  (Ijubi)  who  lives  with  me  and  sleep?  in 
the  next  room.  He  is  one  of  those  who  were  .!q- 
quiring  before  I  went  to  Corisco  ;  and  I  hope  he  \3 


278  GEORGE  PAULL. 

a  Christian.  Every  night  I  hear  liini  oflering  low 
but  private  prayers  to  God  in  his  native  tongue — 
and  it  is  hy  no  means  a  small  comfort  and  delight 
liere  to  hear  a  heathen  boy  begin  to  pray.  There 
is  the  same  good  attendance  and  attention  that 
there  was  before  I  went  away.  Those  who  were 
interested  come  regularly  and  faithfully  to  morning 
and  evening  prayers,  and  to  every  meeting  for 
prayer,  although  some  of  them  have  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  walk,  sometimes  in  pitchy  dark- 
ness, and  almost  trembling  for  fear  of  the  leopards. 
J  hope  in  the  last  day  it  will  be  found  that  they 
have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Every  one  who  is  received 
into  the  church  here  must  be  received  with  fear 
and  trembling,  for  if  they  stand  and  keep  from 
open  sin,  it  can  only  be  because  they  are  upheld  by 
the  most  amazing  grace  of  God.  There  are  a  thou- 
sand earthly  helps  to  bolster  a  Christian  up  in  a 
civilized  land;  but  here  there  is  scarcely  a  single 
prop.  A  healthy  moral  sentiment  in  the  com- 
munity is  one  of  the  greatest  helps  to  Christians 
at  home,  but  here  there  is  no  ir.oral  sentiment  at 
all.  The  reins  are  all  thrown  loose,  and  they  may 
and  do  commit  the  vilest  sins  as  freely  as  they  like. 
Imagine  Avhat  a  people  must  be  without  govern- 


GEORGE  PAULL.  279 

ment,  without  laws,  M'itiiout  religion,  M'ithoiit 
morals ! 

"Api-il  20. — To-night  the  rain  patters  down 
heavily  on  the  roof,  and  the  sound  is  not  un])]eas- 
ant,  but  has  ratiier  a  soothing  effect  when  one  is 
under  good  shelter.  But  the  thunder  bursts  loudly 
overhca<l,  and  the  red  lightning  darts  in  at  every 
crack.  A  bamboo  house  is  by  no  means  a  tiglit 
structure,  for  it  is  easy  to  read  by  the  light  which 
pours  in  through  the  cracks,  when  the  doors  and 
window-shutters  are  all  closed.  But  this  does  not 
hinder  it  from  being  a  comfortable  place  to  live  in, 
for  the  air  also  finds  entrance  at  the  openings;  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to  get  along  without  plenty  of 
fresh  air, 

"  I  went  out  in  the  bush  to-day  to  see  if  I  could 
find  some  fresh  meat.  In  the  bush,  only  a  little 
distance  away,  we  found  deer  tracks  almost  as 
plenty  as  rabbit  tracks  around  a  thicket  at  home, 
and  the  fresh  tracks  of  what  is  said  to  be  a  wild 
cow,  as  though  she  had  just  leaped  by ;  and  it 
seemed  to  be  a  perfect  play-ground  for  elephants, 
for  the  ti'aces  of  them  were  all  around,  where  they 
had  rubbed  on  the  trees  and  put  their  huge  feet  in 
the  mud.  We  came  across  about  a  dozen  monkeys 
ia  the  top  of  a  tree  cracking  nuts.     I  would   have 


280  GEORGE  PAULL. 

been  willing  to  forego  my  prejudices  and  eat  a  piece 
of  one  of  them,  as  the  natives  and  white  men  on 
the  coast  eat  them,  and  esteem  them  excellent  fcxxl. 
But  if  I  ever  knew  anvthino;  about  huntin";  I  have 
forgotten  it  now  ;  for  they  all  slipped  away  through 
the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  we  came  home  without 
anything.  I  had  Upingalo  with  me,  and  another 
native.  The  monkeys  go  in  great  droves  usually, 
leaping  along  from  tree- top  to  tree-top  like  squirrels, 
and  they  may  be  seen  almost  any  morning  or 
evening  by  a  short  walk." 

Here  Mr.  Paull's  pen  ceases  its  work.  The  Rev. 
]\lr.  jNIackey  continues : 

"This  letter  was  written  so  far  before  your 
brother's  last  illness.  When  on  his  death-bed 
at  my  house  he  requested  me  to  take  it  from  his 
portfolio,  finish  and  forward  it  to  you,  in  case  he 
should  be  called  away. 

"Your  brother  George  has  run  his  earthly  race, 
he  has  finished  his  course,  and  ho  has  gone  to  re- 
ceive his  crown.  He  died  on  Sabbath  morning, 
May  14,  a  little  before  11  o'clock,  while  the  congre- 
gation was  worshiping  in  the  church  close  by. 

"Your  brother  was  a  most  faithful  and  devoted 
laborer  in  the  cause  of  Christ.     The  members  of 


OEORGE  PAULL.  281 

our  mission  esteemed  him  most  highly  as  a  Chris- 
tian brother  and  fellow  -  laborer.  The  people 
around  his  station  on  the  mainland  loved  him 
and  received  his  teachings  with  gladness.  I  feel 
that  I  have  lost  a  personal  friend.  My  dear  wife 
mourns  his  loss  as  that  of  a  brother.  We  do  not 
repine  or  rebel  against  the  will  of  God.  He  who 
does  all  things  well  has  afflicted  us  and  you,  but  it 
is  done  in  love.         Yours  sincerely, 

"James  L.  Mackey." 

An  extract  from  a  letter  written  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  death  so  well  expresses  his  views  and  feel- 
ings in  entering  upon  the  new  station  at  Benita,  that 
we  give  it  here,  though  not  in  its  chronological  order: 

"To  go  and  live  among  the  mainland  tribes  and 
declare  unto  them  the  gospel — is  not  this  high 
honor?  For  some  time  I  have  had  charge  of  the 
out-stations  extending  along  the  coast  for  about 
fifty  miles,  and  I  have  visited  them  by  boat,  but 
now  I  go  to  live  among  them  and  give  my  time 
wholly  to  the  work.  If  ever  I  wished  to  live  it  is 
now,  when  my  heart  has  hope  that  I  may  yet  do 
somethino;  for  God  and  somethinsr  for  Africa.  A 
peculiar  confidence  has  gradually  been  growing 
stronger  within   me  that  God   will   yet  give   me 


282  GEORGE  PAULL. 

grace  to  do  something  that  sliall  be  for  his  glory. 
Thus  God  is  gradually  opening  ibr  me  the  way  I 
liave  so  much  desired  to  go,  and  I  count  it  good- 
ness and  mercy  in  him.  For  years  I  have  besought 
the  Lord  for  just  the  thing  he  seems  to  be  giving 
me  now,  and  he  has  led  me  to  it  along  a  path  in 
many  respects  different  from  my  expectations.  His 
faithfulness  hitherto  has  made  me  strong  in  the 
confidence  that  by  his  grace  he  will  keep  me  from 
falling  unto  the  end.  My  darkness  and  my  temp- 
tations which  pressed  so  sorely  on  me  for  many 
months  have  passed  away,  and  I  cannot  doubt  that 
they  have  left  me  stronger  in  the  Lord,  and  have 
introduced  me  more  fully  into  the  precious  and 
abiding  love  of  Christ.  If  I  be  not  deceived, 
there  is  growing  within  me  a  firmer  resolve  to 
glorify  God  and  to  be  unreservedly  given  to  him. 
His  character  has  been  growing  daily  more  beauti- 
ful to  me,  and  thoughts  of  his  infinite  excellence 
fill  my  heart  at  times  fuller  than  it  can  hold.  Do 
not  fear,  my  friends,  that  any  prospect  of  earthly 
happiness  will  turn  me  away  from  the  work  to 
which  God  has  called  me.  God  is  too  merciful  to 
suffer  that.  I  count  it  better  a  thousand  times  to 
die  than  to  desert  my  *  post.'  " 

This   noble  faith   in   God   and   devotion  to  the 


GEORGE  FAULL.  283 

great  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  sable 
tribes  of  Africa  affords  a  sublime  illustration  of 
the  power  of  divine  grace  in  conquering  all  natural 
attachment  to  the  world  and  bringing  all  the 
powers  of  the  soul  into  the  obedience  of  Christ. 

Dr.  Nassau,  after  giving  a  full  account  of  Mr. 
Paull's  ilhiess  from  his  return  from  Benita  to 
Corisco  to  the  day  before  his  death,  writes : 
"On  Saturday,  13tli,  Mr.  Mackey  asked  him 
whether  in  the  face  of  an  early  death  he  had 
any  regrets  for  having  come  to  Africa.  He  decid- 
edly and  warmly  said,  'No,  no,  no;'  and  added 
that  his  only  sorrow  was  for  the  grief  that  his 
relatives  and  friends  would  feel.  Late  in  the 
afternoon,  as  Mr,  De  Heer  was  going  back  to 
his  station,  Mr.  Paull  rose  up  suddenly  in  his 
bed  and  said,  *0h,  brother  de  Heer,  I  am  so 
nervous.'  Mr.  De  Heer  reminded  him  that  there 
was  rest  for  the  weary.  '  Oh  yes ;  if  I  could  only 
fully  realize  that!'  How  sweet  in  weakness  to  de- 
rive strength  from  Christ  and  rest  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  our  Beloved.  '  Yes,  I  long  for  that  rest.' 
As  they  pressed  hands  for  the  last  time,  Mr._  De 
Heer  said,  '  If  no  more  on  earth,  brother,  we  trust 
we  shall  meet  in  that  better  world.'  '  Pray  much 
for  me,  and  ask  all  to  pray  for  me,'  was  the  reply." 


284  GEORGE  PAULL. 

Dr.  Nassau  continues :  "  In  the  twilight  of  the 
evening  (I  fanning  him)  lie  said,  *  Repeat  that 
li}'mn.'  None  had  been  spoken  of,  and  I  asked 
which.  He  replied,  'Just  as  I  am.'  A  little 
after  9  o'clock  he  moaned,  seemingly  not  intend- 
ing to  speak  audibly,  'Lord  Jesus,  don't  cast  me 
away.  Such  clouds  and  darkness  on  my  mind.' 
*  Has  there  been  to-day  ?'  '  Yes,  for  two  weeks.' 
'While  you  have  been  sick  here?'  'Yes.'  'He 
says  He  is  light.  There  is  light  there,  though 
we  do  not  see  it.'  'True.'  'And  Christian  in  his 
darkness  felt  a  hand,  though  he  saw  none.  The 
grace  that  availed  for  the  heathen  you  preached  to 
at  Benita  avails  for  you.'  '  That  is  so,  that  is  so.' 
'We  sinners  all  need  the  same  grace.  "Him  that 
cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." '  'In 
no  icise,  in  no  trise.'  I  prayed,  then,  arising,  said, 
'He,  is  a  covenant -keeping  God;  he  does  not 
break  covenants.'  '  No.'  After  an  interval  he 
added,  '  Lord,  pity  me,  pity,  pity,  pity.'  He  lay 
quietly  much  of  the  former  part  of  the  night,  but 
not  asleej),  for  often  I  heard  scarcely  audible  words 
of  ejaculatory  prayer,  and  exj)ressions  like,  '  O 
Father,  dear  Saviour,'  etc.  Just  at  midnight, 
when  he  was  lying  so  quietly  that  I  thought  him 
almost  asleep,  he  said  in  a  low  voice,  as  if  speaking 


GEORGE  PAULL.  285 

to  liimself,  'Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed  feel  soft 
as  downy  pillows  are.'  I  carried  it  on,  '  AVliile 
on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head/  and  he  finished  the 
fourth  line/ And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there.' 

"At  one  time  on  Sabbath  morning  I  thought 
death  had  come  when  he  uttered,  in  a  drawn  out, 
slow  manner,  '  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit !' 
Later  still  he  spoke  more  distinctly,  '  Saviour, 
Saviour,  give  me  more  light,  more  trust  in  thee,' 
One  of  his  last  utterances  before  he  died  was,  '  I 
wish  to  lay  myself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  to  feel 
that  Jesus  is  my  all.'  The  loved  friend  felt  Jesus 
with  him  before  he  actually  was  ushered  into  the 
enjoyment  of  the  Sabbath  above.  I  am  sure  that 
God  lifted  that  painfully  obscuring  veil,  and 
showed  your  son  and  brother  his  face  while  yet  in 
the  valley.  He  could  not  desert  one  who  in  every 
walk  and  conversation  of  life  had  honored  him." 

Thus  the  Christian  missionary,  whose  heart  God 
so  strongly  inclined  to  preach  his  precious  gospel 
to  the  perishing  heathen  in  Africa,  has  gone  to  rest 
in  glory,  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  body  sleeps  in  the  beautiful  mission 
cemetery,  at  Corisco,  awaiting  the  resurrection 
morn  when  them  that  sleep  in  Jesus  shall  God 
bring  with   him.     Two  oleanders,  planted  by  lov- 


286  GEORGE  PAULL. 

iiig  hands,  one  at  the  liead  and  the  other  at  the 
foot  of  his  grave,  now  bh>om  monthly  in  fragrant 
beauty,  emblematic  of  that  immortal  bloom  which 
awaits  the  raised  body  in  the  celestial  country. 
His  spirit,  so  ardent  in  devotion  here,  1  doubt  not 
is  among  the  most  seraphic  of  the  spirits  of  the 
just  made  perfect,  now  striking  its  golden  harp  in 
notes  of  praise  to  redeeming  love.  His  bright 
moral  image,  now  reflecting  more  perfectly  the  like- 
ness of  his  Saviour,  still  lives  in  the  memory  of  those 
^vho  knew  him  on  earth,  preaching  most  impres- 
sively the  great  duty  of  love  and  fidelity  to  Ciirist 
as  the  only  true  preparation  for  the  crown  of  life. 

A  marble  monument  marks  his  tomb,  with  the 
emblem  of  a  cross  and  croicn,  and  the  inscription : 

Eev.  GEORGE  PAULL. 

BoRX  Fk  B.  3,  1837. 

Died  May   14,  1865, 

Also  I  heard  the  voice  of  tlie  Lord  snyiiig,  Whom  sliall 

I  send  and  who  will  go  for  us?     Then  said  he, 

Here  am  I,  send  ine. — Isaiaii  vii.  8. 

Dr.  Nassau,  on  visiting  Benita,  wrote,  "  My  heart 
sank  with  heaviness  for  the  breach  that  the  Lord 
has  made  ujion  us.  \\'hen  the  news  of  Mr. 
PauU's  death   I'cachcd  Benita  the  peo})le  trembled 


Grave  of  Mr.  Paull. 


p.  286. 


QEORdE  FAULL.  287 

— the  native  word  means  to  be  agitated  exceed- 
ingly— and  wailing  was  heard  through  all  the 
towns  as  when  a  great  man  of  their  own  tribe  dies. 
I  found  that  he  had  obtained  a  deep  and  firm  hold 
on  the  people's  affections.  Those  who  were  seek- 
ing Christ  told  me  mournfully  of  their  sorrow 
for  their  missionary's  death,  and  wistfully  asked 
whether  another  would  come.  I  think  I  may 
count  ten  as  hopefully  Christians,  and  as  many 
more  as  sincere  inquirers,  and  others  whose  hea- 
thenish habits  are  modified  and  who  respect  the 
Sabbath  and  other  institutions  of  religion." 

If  the  death  of  Mr.  Paull  brought  sadness  to  the 
mission  circle  in  Africa,  and  called  forth  the  wail 
of  the  heathen  in  their  towns,  so  did  it  bring  sore 
grief  to  hearts  in  America.  Yet  the  grief  of  those 
who  loved  him  was  tempered  by  the  knowledge  of 
his  godly  life  and  blessed  estate,  and  by  the  warm 
Avords  of  those  who  knew  him  well.  Letters  of 
condolence  from  men  eminent  in  the  Church,  reso- 
lutions of  Presbytery,  and  the  poetic  tribute  of 
affectionate  admiration,  bore  witness  to  the  regard 
in  which  he  \yas  held,  but  will  not  be  needed  by 
those  who  have  read  th  •  record  of  his  life.  This 
plain  record  will  enable  them  to  form  a  just  esti- 
mate of  his  character. 


^88  GEOROE  PAIJLL. 

I  have  permitte<l  this  noble  young  Christian 
missionary  to  entertain  and  instruct  my  readers  by 
liis  letters,  addressed  in  the  usual  freedom  of  cor- 
respondence to  his.  relatives  and  intimate  friends, 
and  not  designed  by  him  for  the  public  eye.  Had 
they  known  him  personally,  they  would  not  won- 
der that  I  should  take  the  labor  of  transcribing 
them  for  their  benefit.  May  God  imbue  them  with 
a  double  portion  of  that  Christian  spirit  which 
animated  the  heart  of  his  missionary  to  Corisco! 

To  the  young  let  me  say,  would  you  possess 
a  lofty  Christian  record  on  earth  and  an  unfading 
crown  in  heaven,  commit  your  souls  to  God  in 
early  life  wath  the  earnest  and  daily  prayer  of  the 
Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  hav^e 
me  to  do?"  Bring  your  young  hearts  to  Christ  in 
loving  faith  and  fervent  devotion  to  his  church. 
Cherish  that  true  concern  for  the  perishing  heathen 
M'hich  made  Mr.  Paull  so  happy  in  preaching  the 
gospel  even  in  Africa.  If  you  have  his  faith  and 
zeal  in  the  cause,  though  you  be  not  called  to 
labor  and  lay  your  bodies  in  Africa  or  India,  you 
may  nevertheless  share  in  the  glory  to  be  revealed 
when  "  They  that  are  wise  shall  shine  as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 


DATE  DUE 

''*'IIWIIIIIlWII»*^' 

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fm 

JAN  J-  * 

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C  *  V  L  O  R  D 

PRINTED  IN  US    A. 

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